GEORGIAN 
BUNGALOW 


\      V 


FRANCES  COURTENAY  BAYLOR 


I   I 


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A  GEORGIAN 
BUNGALOW 


BY 


FRANCES  COURTENAY  BAYLOR 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

(aibe  fitoetfibe  $re?&  Cambridge 

1900 


COPYRIGHT,  1900 

BY   FRANCES   COURTENAY    BAYLOR    BARNUM 
AND    HOUGHTON,   MIFFLIN    &   CO. 

ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

A  SOUTHERN  HOME 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
SOME  FISH  —  ALSO  A  FRIGHT 11 

£ 

£  CHAPTER  III. 

>-    A  FAMILY  FEAST,  AND  THE  BIG  CATCH        ....      25 

DC 

•< 

CHAPTER  IV. 
ALL  THE  WORLD  SEES  A  PRISONER,  AND  CANDY  DOLL  A 

PROPHET .36 

<\» 
j»- 

$  CHAPTER  V. 

e     A  GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT 46 

7 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY  .  58 

8 

*  CHAPTER   VII. 

-•) 

ci      "  A  COUNTRY  FOOTING  " 71 

(0 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
fj       THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD 82 

CHAPTER  IX. 
IN  DANGER 92 


452G8O 


iv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  TERRIBLE  TIME 102 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  RESCUE    ....  112 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

SHE  STARTED  OFF  QUICKLY  (page  30)         .         .    Frontispiece 

MR.  NORTON'S  ROSE  GARDEN 4 

A  BANQUET  FOR  THE  GODS 68 

THEY  WERE  ALL  so  BUSY  PACKING                 ...  84 


A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 


CHAPTER  I 

A    SOUTHERN    HOME 

A  VAST  stretch  of  country  set  in  Debatable  Land. 
The  sea,  brimming  high  above  miles  and  miles  of 
marshes ;  sending  by  a  mighty  impulse  its  spray 
flying  over  sand  dunes,  and  palms,  and  palmettoes 
along  every  beach ;  puffing  its  salty  whiffs,  win 
nowed  by  all  the  winds  battling  between  Africa 
and  America,  across  wide  stretches  of  half -sub 
merged  land ;  throwing  its  long  arms  far,  far  in 
land  around  richly  wooded  islands;  and  winding 
in,  through,  about  the  low  levels  of  rush-covered 
sand,  —  ever  threatening,  uprooting,  destroying. 

The  patient  land,  at  every  ebb  of  the  enemy, 
sending  its  grasses,  and  reeds,  and  grains  right 
gallantly  down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  ocean,  root 
ing  them  in  mire  and  sand,  in  the  very  driftwood 
and  wreckage  thrown  up  against  them  by  the  ocean 


2  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

in  its  rage  over  their  audacity ;  covering  its  hills  and 
dunes  with  sea-oats,  its  marshes  with  rushes,  in  spite 
of  constant  discouragement  and  inconstant  waves, 
making,  here  and  there,  a  few  firm  acres  on  which 
to  set  magnificent  oaks  veiled  in  long  tendrils  of 
gray  moss,  palmettoes,  growths  of  many  kinds,  — 
ever  building,  repairing,  reclaiming.  Everywhere, 
everything  telling  of  both  land  and  sea  —  the  very 
sea  half  land,  the  land  half  sea :  the  birds  belonging 
to  both  kingdoms,  —  long-legged,  long-billed  cranes 
and  herons,  short-bodied  gulls,  and  ducks  of  bril 
liant  plumage,  flying  over  the  marshes,  or  lighting 
in  some  solitary  spot,  and  standing  on  one  weary 
leg  until  startled  by  some  sight  or  sound  into  fly 
ing  off  again ;  the  redwing  nesting  securely  on  the 
marsh  tussocks,  the  mockingbirds  pouring  out  their 
flood  of  harmony  from  the  islands,  the  finches  and 
sparrows  singing  and  twittering  among  the  reeds, 
stray  orioles  and  woodpeckers,  from  more  northern 
climes,  darting  here  and  there  throughout  the  woods  : 
the  very  plants  and  flowers  born  of  this  union  of 
land  and  sea  partaking  of  the  nature  of  both ; 
strange,  uncanny  things,  often  slimy  and  fleshy 
when  found  among  the  shells  and  sands  of  the 
beach,  succulent  and  many-tinted  farther  inland, 
pliant  all,  and  built  to  bear  the  sudden  swirl  and 


A  SOUTHERN  HOME  3 

uplift  of  the  water,  rich  in  color,  knowing  well  the 
sweetness  of  the  sun's  kiss.  Above  the  wide,  low, 
level  landscape  the  blue  magnificence  of  the  south 
ern  sky,  with  great  white  clouds  floating  across  it, 
like  detached  mountains  from  the  heavenly  country. 
Beyond  it  the  changing  glories  of  the  illimitable  sea. 
Here,  some  ten  miles  inland,  on  the  Tomochichi 
River,  among  the  uplands,  was  set  a  model  planta 
tion  house  of  the  better  sort,  on  an  estate  primarily 
devoted  to  the  production  of  rice,  but  rich  in  many 
delightful  things,  and  known  as  "  Neosha."  First 
there  was  a  charming  family  of  English  people,  the 
Nortons,  who  had  bought  the  estate  from  its  impov 
erished  owner,  a  stately,  courtly  old  man  (of  the  type 
once  so  familiar  to  Southerners,  cast  in  the  mould 
that  can  alone  form  the  highbred  gentleman  the 
world  over),  now  retired  to  his  former  overseer's 
cottage  across  the  river.  Then  there  was  a  roomy 
boat-house  below  an  ideal  bath-house,  and  finally 
there  was  a  most  beautiful  and  unique  garden,  the 
like  of  which  was  not  to  be  found  or  seen  in  this 
country.  The  Nortons'  rose-garden  was  indeed  one 
of  the  notable  things  of  the  countryside,  and  gave 
more  pleasure  annually  to  their  friends  and  acquaint 
ances  than  could  be  at  all  estimated.  It  was  at  its 
best  in  the  month  in  which  our  story  opens,  —  June, 


4  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

—  and  consisted  of  acres  of  exquisite  roses  of  every 
kind,  in  full  bloom,  surrounded  by  a  hedge  of  other 
roses,  the  white  Cherokee,  and  all  owing  their  per 
fections  to  the  ugly  rice  mud  beneath,  the  blazing 
tropical  sun  above,  and  the  soft  air  around  them. 
Mr.  Norton  was  a  connoisseur  in  roses,  and  a  great 
lover  of  them  ;  a  good  botanist,  and  an  indefatigable 
gardener.  He  had  come  to  the  country  with  his 
wife  just  at  the  close  of  our  civil  war,  and  had  for 
tunately  been  able  to  build  the  estate  up  to  the  ante 
bellum  level  again,  and  keep  it  there.  The  lawn, 
which  as  an  Englishman  he  was  sternly  determined 
to  have,  he  eventually  produced  from  cocoa  grass. 
There  was  an  imposing  avenue  of  oaks  leading  up 
to  the  house  which  stood  embowered,  as  it  were, 
in  vigorous  crape  myrtles,  flinging  their  generous 
pink  -  tipped  branches  toward  every  window.  In 
place  of  the  traditional  apple  or  peach  orchard, 
there  was  one  no  less  delicious  of  Smyrna  and 
Celeste  figs,  as  both  the  birds  and  the  boys  well 
understood,  and  two  great  arbors  of  scuppernongs, 
and  a  big  watermelon  patch,  the  delight  of  "  You- 
pam,"  "  Candy  Doll,"  and  the  pigs.  The  house 
was  a  large  one,  built  on  the  old  bungalow  plan 
of  the  South,  the  East  Indies,  the  tropics  generally  : 
raised  on  pillars,  surrounded  on  every  side  by  wide 


MR.    NORTON'S   ROSE   GARDEN 


A  SOUTHERN  HOME  5 

verandas,  with  rooms  on  both  sides  of  the  wide 
halls  that  traversed  the  house  and  crossed  each 
other  at  right  angles,  —  a  plan  that  cannot  be  im 
proved  upon  for  a  hot  climate.  In  the  rear  were 
the  servants'  offices,  in  which  lived  Daddy  Dick, 
Maumer  Oney,  his  wife,  Big  Maria,  Little  Maria, 
Betty,  Henny,  and  her  two  children,  "  Candy  Doll " 
and  Youpam  (derived  from  Epaminondas,  a  worthy 
rashly  mentioned  by  Mr.  Norton  one  day  at  dinner, 
and  appropriated  with  variations  by  Daddy  Dick's 
son,  Sam,  the  butler),  three  other  men,  and  a  boy. 
Beyond  this  again  dwelt  the  field  hands. 

As  for  the  family  proper,  it  consisted  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Norton,  their  children  (Mabel,  aged  sixteen, 
Edward,  a  boy  of  fourteen,  Frank,  whose  chief 
regret  in  life  was  that  he  was  "  only  ten,"  Lucy, 
a  child  of  eight,  and  the  youngest  and  prettiest  of 
them  all,  generally  called  "  dear  little  Keith  "),  the 
governess,  Fraulein  Dinkspiel  (who  laid  great  stress 
upon  the  proper  pronunciation  of  the  "  spiel  "  in 
her  name),  and  a  tutor,  Mr.  Caruthers,  a  youthful 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  as  modest 
and  clever  as  he  was  manly  and  good-looking. 

Between  the  house  and  the  servants'  offices  was 
a  plot  of  ground  which  the  children  regarded  as 
most  important  of  all,  for  there  was  the  pigeon- 


6  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

cote,  and  there  the  rabbit-hutches ;  there  was  the 
kennel  that  held,  that  generally  did  not  hold, 
"  Waggles,"  their  Beloved  dog ;  there  were  their 
chameleons,  and  a  tank  full  of  fish  ;  and  there  was 
their  blue  heron  and  their  tame  (broken-hearted 
would  be  a  better  term)  alligator,  so  weary  of  being 
everlastingly  poked  up  by  a  long  succession  of  little 
Nortons  that  he  was  called  in  the  family  "  Pooh- 
bah ! " 

In  such  a  spot,  it  must  be  clear  that  children, 
at  least,  could  not  have  been  otherwise  than  happy, 
and  that  the  elder  folk  had  their  occupations,  con 
solations,  and  diversions.  Mr.  Norton  was  nearly 
always  to  be  found  in  the  garden  with  Daddy  Dick, 
who  always  addressed  him  as  "  Cunnle  "  and  gave 
his  whole  mind  to  seeing  how  little  he  could  do  — 
unlike  his  master,  who  never  could  do  enough,  or 
grow  accustomed  to  the  leisurely  ways  and  the 
ingenious  excuses,  the  infinite  capacity  for  sleeping 
and  eating,  the  constitutional  objection  to  working, 
of  the  colored  people.  He  always  treated  them  with 
the  courtesy  that  English  gentlemen  show  their  ser 
vants  ;  he  was  never  in  the  least  familiar  with  them ; 
he  paid  them  liberally  and  promptly.  He  never 
could  understand  why  the  stars  in  their  courses, 
according  to  Daddy  Dick,  seemed  to  fight  against 


A   SOUTHERN  HOME  7 

his  weeding,  watering,  clipping,  ploughing  the  be 
loved  roses  ;  or  why  Dick  grinned  with  delight  and 
fell  to  hoeing  with  the  greatest  possible  energy 
and  spirit,  when  Mr.  Carlton,  his  former  master  and 
owner,  coming  over  to  see  Mr.  Norton,  would  call 
out :  "  Dick,  you  black  rascal,  are  you  going  to  let 
those  Marshal  Niels  die  for  want  of  water  ?  And 
look  at  that  bed  of  tea-roses,  there ;  don't  you  see 
they  need  shading  ?  And  see  here,  there  's  a  pair 
of  trousers  up  at  the  house  for  you,  and  I  've  paid 
for  having  that  old  mule  of  yours  shod  —  the  one 
with  the  fiddle-box  head."  That  mule  was  the  apple 
of  Daddy  Dick's  eye.  He  had  a  little  plot  of  land 
on  the  other  side  of  "  Bolton's  cut,"  one  of  the 
many  winding  waterways  of  the  county,  which  he 
called  his  "  fa-am  "  —  there  was  not  an  r  in  his 
vocabulary  —  and  "  Linkum  "  was  his  silent  and 
very  efficient,  if  somewhat  obstinate,  partner  in  the 
business  of  raising  watermelons  during  his  leisure 
hours.  And  nothing  made  the  Norton  children 
quite  so  happy  as  a  visit  to  his  cabin,  to  Sally,  his 
wife,  to  "  Linkum  "  (for  Lincoln),  and  the  pigs. 
"  Dick  and  I  understand  each  other,"  Mr.  Carlton 
would  say. 

"  Yeh.     We  was  born  de  same  day,  and  chris 
tened  de  same  day,  and  got  married  de  same  day. 


8  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

But  de  Cunnle  he  ain't  had  no  luck.  Sally  she 's 
my  sevent  wife,  and  younger  'n  my  daughter.  But 
he  is  done  have  to  live  along  wid  de  same  old  Miss 
right  straight  thoo,"  Dick  would  answer. 

Mrs.  Norton,  at  first,  had  been  equally  puzzled 
by  servants  that  never  drank  beer,  knew  nothing  of 
"board-wages,"  resented  being  given  their  weekly 
allowance  of  food,  and  were  generally  so  trying,  in 
some  ways,  and  entirely  different  from  anything  she 
had  ever  known.  "If  they  would  only  not  clean 
the  kettles  with  my  apostle  spoons,  and  dust  with 
my  best  table-napkins  !  "  she  would  say  to  her  hus 
band  :  "  And  if  I  could  only  depend  upon  them  as 
one  does  at  home." 

But  they  both  knew  all  about  the  race  by  the 
time  Fraulein  Dinkspiel  appeared  on  the  scene,  and 
greatly  enjoyed  proceedings  that  quite  scandalized 
the  plantation. 

"  Kommen  sie  hier"  the  worthy  lady  cried  to 
Candy  Doll  the  day  of  her  arrival ;  "  I  would  your 
wool  feel.  Hein  !  But  it  is  like  the  sheep,"  and 
then  kissed  her,  which  sent  all  the  Norton  children 
off  in  rows  into  such  fits  of  giggles  that  fraulein  in 
her  turn  was  quite  scandalized. 

"  It  is  not  proper  that  the  young  lady,  the  young 
gentleman,  should  so  conduct  themselves,"  she  said 


A   SOUTHERN  HOME  9 

to  them.  "  And  you,  call  you  that  a  name  —  Candy 
Doll  ?  "  she  continued. 

"  Yeh-hum,"  replied  the  little  black  sheep,  show 
ing  all  her  ivories. 

"  Her  mother  called  her  that,"  explained  Lucy 
solemnly.  "  It  was  n't  her  fault." 

"  'Cause  I  'se  so  thweet,"  added  Candy  Doll. 
"  And  here-'s  Youpam,"  pushing  forward  her  brother. 

"But  the  registrar,  the  priest,  they  allow  such 
ridiculosities  in  America ! "  cried  fraulein  fiercely. 
"  It  is  quite  shameful,  this.  And  what  will  become, 
when  you  are  an  ugly  old  woman,  eh?  A  nice 
name  then,  truly,  eh  ?  " 

Candy  Doll  was  unequal  to  the  situation  for  sev 
eral  reasons.  She  was  afraid  of  the  strange  white 
lady  in  blue  goggles,  who  first  kissed  her  and  then 
rated  her,  for  one  thing.  She  had  no  idea  at  all  on 
the  subject  of  such  a  remote  future  state,  for  an 
other.  So  she  sucked  her  thumb,  and  hung  her 
head,  a  quaint  little  figure  enough  in  her  red  cotton 
slip,  her  little  legs  and  feet  bare,  her  hair  standing 
out  a  la  Congo  all  over  her  head. 

"  Come  along.  It  ain't  your  fault.  I  would  n't 
mind,  if  I  were  you,"  said  Lucy,  putting  a  protect 
ing  arm  around  her  protegee  and  leading  her  away. 

"What  is  your  name,  fraulein  ?  "  asked  Mabel  as 
she  seated  herself. 


10  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"Aneuta  Yoganyvna  Papava,  after  my  mother, 
who  was  Russian;  Carlotta  Ulrica  Bettina,  after  my 
father's  sister ;  Stephanie  Jeanne,  for  my  mother's 
sister ;  Margarita  for  my  great-grandmother,  who 
was  French  by  nativity ;  Augusta,  Teresa,  Bertha, 
Louisa,  Caroline,  and,  in  course,  Dinkspiel,"  replied 
fraulein.  "  Pouf  !  But  it  is  enough.  I  am  called 
Bertha." 

"  Do  say  them  all  again,"  cried  the  children  en 
masse.  "  Oh,  mother  dear  !  you  should  just  hear  the 
names  that  fraulein  has  got." 

Mrs.  Norton  had  come  in  to  tell  fraulein  that  she 
must  not  embrace  all  the  little  darkies  on  the  plan 
tation,  as  it  would  certainly  throw  her  household 
into  the  greatest  possible  confusion,  but  she  listened 
first  to  the  singular  recital. 

"  And  were  you  allowed  to  have  them  all  ?  Why, 
it  is  as  bad  as  the  Infanta  of  Spain  !  "  she  said,  and 
then  went  on  to  give  her  little  warning. 

"  Oh,  de  boor,  bretty  little  dings !  Wherefore  not  ? 
Is  it  a  harm  ?  "  asked  fraulein.  "  A  child  is  a  child, 
be  she  black,  be  she  white,  be  she  yellow.  Und  I 
loike  so  all  children.  Dey  are  so  fresh  from  Hayven, 
und  die  Allgutigste." 


CHAPTER  II 

SOME    FISH ALSO    A    FEIGHT 

"  WELL,  children,  what  do  you  say  to  a  day  on 
Curlew  Island  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Norton  of  the  assembled 
family  at  the  breakfast-table  on  the  morning  of  the 
fifth  of  July.  "  The  weather  is  perfect,  not  too  hot, 
and  we  have  n't  been  fishing  for  a  year." 

The  faces  around  him  were  answer  enough  to  this 
question.  But  there  was  a  great  chorus  of :  "  Oh, 
papa,  do  let  us  !  Delightful !  Is  mamma  coming  ? 
and  fraulein  ?  And  can't  Candy  Doll  and  Youpam 
come,  too  ?  " 

"  There  they  are  now ! "  cried  Mabel,  and  look 
ing  out  of  the  window,  they  all  saw  Daddy  Dick 
mounted  on  "Linkum"  standing  before  the  front 
door.  Behind  him  were  Youpam  and  Candy  Doll, 
who  seemed  about  to  slip  over  Link  urn's  tail.  In 
front  of  them  all  (some  distance  off,  indeed)  was 
an  enormous  watermelon,  of  the  famous  ivy  pattern. 
Linkum  seemed  in  extremely  low  spirits,  and  drooped 
his  head  and  tail  most  dejectedly.  The  children 


12  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

were  in  high  glee,  and  dug  their  bare  heels  into 
his  side.  Daddy  Dick's  melancholy,  meek  face 
wore  an  expression  of  proud  gratification,  very  un 
usual  to  it,  as  he  announced  to  Alfred  that  he  had 
brought  tribute  from  his  "  fa-am  "  for  "  de  Cunnle," 
and  had  left  one  just  like  it  for  "  de  old  Cunnle." 
Mr.  Norton  went  out,  and  having  paid  Daddy  Dick 
in  cold  cash  for  his  present,  much  to  his  chagrin, 
bade  him  get  the  men  and  the  boats  as  they  were 
off  for  a  picnic. 

The  big  mirror  in  the  hall,  which,  when  the  front 
door  was  open,  so  beautifully  reflected  the  rose- 
garden  beyond  and  made  one  of  the  prettiest  effects 
about  the  tasteful  home,  now  showed  an  animated 
family  party.  There  was  Mr.  Norton,  in  his  oldest 
clothes,  a  wet  cabbage  leaf  under  his  puggrey,  his 
hands  full  of  fishing-tackle,  his  thoughts  now  with 
his  wife,  now  with  his  children,  now  with  the  ser 
vants.  There  was  Mrs.  Norton,  very  sweet  and 
motherly  in  her  blue  cotton  gown,  having  a  huge 
hamper  packed  before  her  eyes,  collecting  the  bath 
ing-suits,  clapping  huge  straw  hats  on  the  boys' 
heads,  repressing  Waggles's  overtures,  giving  direc 
tions  to  Maumer  Oney  about  a  hot  supper  to  be  pre 
pared  by  the  time  they  got  back.  There  was  Frau- 
lein  Dinkspiel,  pinning  two  veils  on  a  huge  inverted 


SOME  FISH  — ALSO  A  FRIGHT  13 

mushroom  of  a  hat,  her  goggles  well  settled  on  her 
nose,  her  kind  German  face  beaming  with  satisfac 
tion,  a  book  under  her  arm,  her  knitting  in  her 
pocket,  her  rod  in  her  hand,  and  bathing-suit  and 
umbrella  neatly  strapped  lying  at  her  feet.  There 
were  Edward  and  Frank  and  Keith,  sliding  down 
the  banisters,  squabbling  over  lines  and  rods  and 
hooks,  fingering  the  bait  in  the  big  can  just  brought 
in  by  Sam,  peeping  into  the  luncheon  hamper  with, 
"  Mamma,  can't  I  have  a  cake  ?  "  behaving,  in  short, 
as  boys  always  have  done,  and  always  will  do  as  long 
as  boys  continue  to  be  boys,  on  such  occasions. 
There  was  Mabel,  such  a  sweetly  pretty,  fair  girl, 
almost  as  tall  as  her  mother,  and  quite  as  womanly, 
looking  for  some  fans,  putting  ammonia  and  court- 
plaster  and  Pond's  Extract  into  her  bag,  "  for  the 
boys'"  possible  needs  and  injuries;  a  fresh  hand 
kerchief  and  a  new  novel  "  for  mamma ; "  combs, 
brushes,  soap,  towels,  "  for  everybody ; "  uncon 
scious  that  little  Keith  was  delightfully  occupied 
fastening  fish-hooks  in  the  neat  braids  of  her  back 
hair.  There  was  Lucy,  dancing  all  over  the  place 
like  a  big  butterfly,  all  excitement  and  interest  in 
everybody's  proceedings.  There  was  Big  Maria,  who 
was  as  tall  and  lank  as  a  beanpole,  and  the  soul  of 
cheerful  good-nature,  hunting  for  all  the  things  that 


14  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

were  so  imperatively  needed  at  once,  and  booming 
out  her  replies  in  her  own  big  voice.  There  was 
Little  Maria,  who  was  as  small  and  dismal  as  any 
woman  ever  got  to  be,  making  mountains  of  sand 
wiches  and  rebuffing  the  children  in  her  meekest 
whispers.  There  was  Daddy  Dick,  hat  in  hand, 
waiting  orders ;  likewise  Sam  and  Ned,  his  son  and 
nephew.  There  was  Maumer  Oney  (who  must  have 
weighed  a  ton,  and  wore  the  most  stylish  head-hand 
kerchief  left  in  the  neighborhood,  almost  the  only 
one  that  freedom  and  new  days  and  ways  had  spared, 
indeed),  wiping  her  shining  black  face  at  short  in 
tervals  with  her  apron,  and  interjecting  remarks 
about  the  advisability  of  "  stewin'  de  cherries  "  and 
"  havin'  a  Sallie  Lumm." 

But  at  last,  after  any  amount  of  hurrying  and 
scurrying,  of  remembering  and  forgetting,  Mr.  Nor 
ton  strode  off  across  the  lawn,  fallowed  by  Waggles, 
all  playful  barks  and  bounds,  and  by  the  entire 
party,  including  Youpam  and  Candy  Doll,  who 
brought  up  the  rear,  and  were  smuggled  into  the 
boats  by  Lucy  when  her  father's  back  was  turned. 
When  everybody  was  sure,  in  answer  to  the  ques 
tions  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton,  that  the  luncheon, 
the  rods,  the  bait,  the  umbrellas,  the  fans,  the  bags, 
and  the  children  were  all  there,  including  the  unin- 


SOME  FISH  — ALSO  A  FRIGHT  15 

vited  but  not  unwelcome  little  playmates,  the  heavily 
laden  boats  pushed  off  from  the  shore,  and  turning, 
made  off  through  miles  and  miles  of  waterways  that 
wound  around  and  about  and  through  the  country, 
in  a  way  that  made  it  seem  wonderful  that  Daddy 
Dick  should  be  able  to  choose,  always,  just  the  right 
turning,  where  all  looked  exactly  alike. 

"  Mamma,  can  I  have  a  cake  ?  "  demanded  all  the 
children  at  short  intervals,  but  only  little  Keith  got 
one.  They  were  off  for  "  a  party,"  and  as  he  kept 
asking  "  when  the  party  would  begin  ?  "  that,  of 
course,  meant  refreshments,  as  he  was  too  small  to 
understand  that  the  hamper  must  not  be  opened 
just  yet. 

Fraulein  got  out  her  knitting  as  soon  as  she  was 
comfortably  settled.  She  did  not  believe  in  any 
more  idleness  than  was  necessary  in  life,  and  came 
of  thrifty  folk,  who  had  brought  her  up  in  a  stern 
but  admirable  school. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  knit  now,  are  you,  frau- 
lein  ?  "  asked  Lucy  pettishly. 

"  Yes,  liebchen,  I  must  have  stockings ;  and  look 
you,  I  am  fifty.  I  have  no  time  to  waste.  Nor 
have  you.  No  one  has,  be  the  life  ever  so  long.  I 
regret  me  very  much  the  hours  that  I  imaginated 
only  when  I  was  young  girl.  Of  what  use  ?  No- 


16  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

thing  has  come  for  what  I  made  such  fine  stories. 
Much  sorrow,  much  work  only.  But  this  I  have 
found :  Laziness  and  lies  are  the  worst  of  all.  So 
I  speak  always  truth,  and  I  work  always.  And  I  am 
not  unhappy,  no  ;  so  far  I  am  like  the  good  God." 

"But,  fraulein,  you  have  six  hundred  pairs  of 
stockings  already,"  said  Mabel. 

"  Yes,  I  am  of  respectable  family,"  replied  frau 
lein  with  pride. 

"  But  what  do  you  want  with  so  many  ?  " 

"  We  have  the  great  wash  only  once  by  the  year. 
You  know  one  must  needs  many.  My  aunt,  who 
was  of  a  high  family,  had  nine  hundred.  She  is 
dead  now.  Her  livers  and  gizzards  and  lungs  was 
all  wrong;." 

O 

The  children  all  laughed  out  over  this,  to  them, 
amazing  statement  of  several  facts. 

"  What !  You  only  had  your  clothes  washed  once 
a  year  ?  "  cried  Edward.  "  What  did  you  do  with 
them?" 

"  They  was  all  to  the  garret  taken  and  shaken ; 
ya  !  but  shaken  and  hung  up  over  the  ropes  there," 
replied  fraulein. 

"  What  a  nasty  idea  !  "  ejaculated  Frank. 

"  You  English  think  all  is  nasty  what  is  not  Eng 
lish,"  retorted  fraulein,  as  she  started  a  fresh  needle. 


SOME  FISH— ALSO  A  FRIGHT  17 

"  But  that  could  n't  be  nice  ! "  cried  Mabel. 
"  And  your  aunt  —  why,  if  she  had  had  as  many 
legs  as  a  centipede,  she  could  not  have  worn  all  those 
stockings  ! " 

"I  well  remember  me  that  she  did,"  insisted 
fraulein.  "  She  was  high  well-born  ;  and  they  was 
all  silk  too.  Boor  ding !  she  was  always  very 
bad  with  her  livers." 

"  She  could  n't  have  but  one,  fraulein,  and  only 
chickens  have  gizzards,"  said  Edward,  shifting  his 
seat  and  causing  the  boat  to  lurch  decidedly. 

"  Look  out !  "  shouted  Mr.  Norton. 

"  I  thought  I  saw  a  shark,"  replied  Edward, 
peering  down  into  the  rushes  over  which  the  boat 
was  passing,  thickly  as  they  grew  in  the  water,  just 
as  if  they  were  not  there  at  all. 

"  Too  far  from  de  sea,  sah,"  said  Daddy  Dick, 
bending  forward  and  making  the  boat  leap  ahead 
under  his  long,  steady  strokes.  "  Is  you  brought  de 
confusion  maker,  sah  ?  "  he  slyly  added,  looking  at 
Mr.  Norton.  "  An'  de  watermillion  ?  " 

Mr.  Norton  exchanged  glances  with  his  wife  and 
smiled.  Daddy  Dick  had  but  one  weakness.  He 
was  too  fond  of  whiskey,  of  which  he  always  spoke 
with  the  greatest  contempt  in  this  way. 

"  Mamma,  what  is  a  i  high  well-born '  ? "  asked 


18  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Lucy,  harking  back  to  what  fraulein  had  said. 
"And  isn't  it  perfectly  disgusting  to  wash  clothes 
only  once  a  year  ?  " 

"  i  Autres  pays,  autres  mceurs,'  my  dear.  The 
customs  and  manners  of  all  nations  differ.  I  should 
not  say  '  disgusting/  if  I  were  you.  As  for  frau- 
lein's  aunt,  she  was  a  noble  woman." 

"Can't  I  be  a  noble  woman,  mamma?"  asked 
Lucy. 

"  You  certainly  can,  my  dear,  —  with  a  difference. 
Fortunately  it  is  not  a  matter  of  stockings,"  replied 
Mrs.  Norton.  "  Your  father  does  not  come  of  the 
nobility,  but  of  the  gentry,  in  England.  You  can 
not  be  a  duchess,  or  countess,  but  in  the  best  sense, 
there  is  no  limit  to  the  kind  of  nobility  that  I  wish 
for  you,  my  dear  child." 

"  Is  that  Candy  Doll  back  behind  us,  and  You- 
pam,  alias  Epaminondas,"  asked  Mr.  Norton  from 
the  boat  just  in  front  of  them.  "  What  are  they 
doing  here  ?  " 

"Yessah,"  replied  the  brother  and  sister,  much 
abashed. 

"  Oh,  papa,  I  asked  you,  and  I  just  could  n't  bear 
to  have  Candy  Doll  left  behind  !  She  promised  to 
teach  me  how  to  float,"  cried  Lucy. 

"  Can  you  float  and  swim,  Candy  Doll  ? "  asked 
fraulein.  "  Oh,  the  ridiculosity  —  that  name  !  " 


SOME  FISH— ALSO  A  FRIGHT  19 

"  Yessum  !  "  replied  Candy  Doll,  casting  her  eyes 
down  upon  her  bare  feet,  and  sticking  her  thumb 
bashfully  in  her  mouth. 

"  Put  on  dat  sunbonnet !     Ain't  you  goin'  to  ? 
What   yoh   mammy  say  'bout   tak'n'  care  o'  yoh   / 
skin  !  "  interjected  Daddy  Dick  sternly. 

Candy  Doll  was  already  black  beyond  the  power 
of  any  sun  to  affect  her  complexion,  but  she  started 
in  a  guilty  way,  and  hurriedly  donned  a  yellow  calico 
sunbonnet,  with  very  limp  slats  that  flapped  about 
and  over  her  face  most  uncomfortably. 

"  Here,  gal !  "  cried  Youpam,  as  he  took  hold  of 
one  of  her  long  plaits,  drew  it  up  through  a  hole  at 
the  back  of  her  sunbonnet,  and  tied  it  with  a  piece  of 
cord  to  the  "  curtain; "  "  now  you  is  all  right." 

"  Quit !  Stop  dat,  Youpam  !  "  said  Candy  Doll ; 
"you  hurted  me." 

"  Where  is  your  manners  ?  Who  done  raised  you  ? 
Ef  you  get  pernickity,  I  'se  gwine  throw  you  right 
out  dis  boat  to  de  fishes,"  cried  Daddy  Dick  wrath- 
f ully  to  the  pair.  "  Don'  yoh  open  yoh  mouth  agin, 
do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Yessah,"  cried  the  twins,  subsiding  immediately. 

All  this  time  less  and  less  was  to  be  seen  of  any 
thing  that  suggested  the  stability  of  earth ;  more 
and  more  was  there  the  swell  and  uplift  of  the 


20  A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

ocean ;  until,  at  last,  across  the  thicket  of  bay  and 
rose  hips  in  which  ended  a  gentle  slope,  purple  with 
asters  at  certain  seasons,  appeared  a  snow-white  sand 
dune,  and  beyond  this  again  a  beautiful  sweep  of 
ocean  as  blue  as  the  sky  overhead, 

"  Ach  !  Thou  loved  Heaven  !  But  the  ocean  is 
never  to  be  sufficiently  admired,"  cried  fraulein  in 
German.  "  You  remember  you,  Mabel,  of  that  bo- 
etry  of  Heine  "  — 

But  she  got  no  further,  for  "  Drop  anchor,"  cried 
Mr.  Norton  ;  and  down  it  went !  Daddy  Dick  rested 
from  his  labors  and  wiped  his  brow.  Everybody 
seized  a  pole.  The  awning  overhead  was  shifted 
into  position ;  silence  was  enjoined ;  and  at  once  over 
went  the  lines  of  the  entire  party.  For  three  hours 
they  sat  thus,  catching  mullet,  silver  fish,  sharks, 
with  only  such  speeches  as  were  necessary,  under  a 
burning  sun,  tempered  by  a  cool  wind.  The  boys' 
arms  and  legs  were  bare,  and  burned  crimson  in  the 
glare  from  the  water.  Daddy  Dick  was  kept  busy 
baiting  hooks.  *Fraulein  earnestly  brooded  over  a 
new  rod  and  line  just  imported  from  New  Orleans, 
but  caught  nothing.  Edward  got  tired  soon,  and 
took  to  his  book  about  homing  pigeons.  Little 
Keith  ate,  and  drank,  and  fell  asleep  in  his  mother's 
lap.  Mabel  and  Lucy  and  Frank  exclaimed  over 


SOME  FISH  — ALSO  A  FRIGHT  21 

their  good  luck.  When  the  sharks  had  all  had  their 
noses  broken  and  been  thrown  back  into  the  water 
to  float  but  never  again  to  sink,  and  the  flapping  fish 
that  filled  the  boat-tank  were  duly  counted  and  it 
was  found  that  there  were  two  hundred  and  twenty 
of  them,  Mr.  Norton,  who  had  caught  the  greater 
part  of  them,  pulled  in  his  line  and  ordered  a  halt. 

"  I  've  caught  ten,"  said  Mabel. 

"  And  I  twelve  !  "  cried  Frank. 

"  And  I  fifteen,  but  four  of  them  were  sharks," 
said  Mrs.  Norton.  "  And  see  how  one  of  them  has 
finned  my  thumb." 

"  Und  I,  not  nothing  —  no !  I  must  a  more 
excellent  rod  get  me,"  said  fraulein,  with  a  sigh  of 
fatigue. 

"  Well,  I  caught  fifty,"  said  Mr.  Norton  cheer 
fully."  "How  many  did  you  catch,  Candy  Doll?" 

"  Seventy-nine,  sah,"  reported  the  yellow  sun- 
bonnet,  and  so  she  had !  With  an  ordinary  line 
and  hook,  the  little  water  rat  had  been  steadily  haul 
ing  them  in  over  the  side  of  the  boat  ever  since  they 
began,  and  had  easily  carried  off  the  honors  of  the 
expedition. 

They  now  moved  off  to  another  place,  and  again 
tried  their  luck.  This  time  Daddy  Dick  and  Sam 
got  everything,  and  Mr.  Norton  shared  fraulein's 
ill  luck. 


22  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  We  '11  be  off  to  the  island  now  and  cook  some 
of  them,"  he  commanded,  and  forthwith,  after  a 
short  pull,  Daddy  Dick  sent  the  boat  up  into  the 
shallows  and  they  all  went  ashore. 

Some  dwarf  palms,  a  great  many  low  sand-hills, 
covered  with  pampas  grass  and  sea-oats,  a  fine  beach, 
a  thundering  surf,  and  a  rough  cottage  set  on  the 
edge  of  its  three  hundred  acres,  —  this  was  Curlew 
Island.  Daddy  Dick  and  Sam  disappeared  into  the 
cottage  at  once  and  lit  a  big  fire,  put  on  a  kettle  of 
hominy,  and  began  to  clean  fish.  A  glorious  game 
of  blind-man's-buff  followed  for  the  Norton  children, 
in  which  the  twins  shared. 

"  Take  off  your  bonnet,  Candy  Doll,  it  is  very 
nice  and  shady  here,"  said  Mabel,  in  the  midst  of  it. 

"  I  kain' ;  it  '11  spile  my  skin.  Mammy  say  I  '11 
be  most  white  when  I  done  growed  up,  if  I  wear  dis 
yeller  bonnet  stiddy,  and  takes  my  pills,"  insisted 
Candy  Doll,  resisting  Mabel's  attempt  to  remove  it 
forcibly. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  '11  be  a  lily,  sure,'*  cried  Frank  un 
generously.  "  What  makes  you  such  a  goose,  Candy 
Doll  ?  My  sisters  have  got  their  bonnets  off.  Look 
at  them." 

"  Yeh.  But  dey  des  natchelly  white.  Dey  don' 
need  no  bonnets  and  no  pills,"  cried  Candy  Doll, 
wholly  unconvinced. 


SOME  FISH  — ALSO  A   FRIGHT  23 

"  What  kind  of  pills  ?  "  asked  Edward.  "  See 
here  !  I  am  afraid  somebody  has  been  taking  you 
in." 

"  Daddy  Dick  give  a  dollar  for  'em.  De  paper  say 
dey  turn  a  colored  lady  snow-white  in  tree  days,  and 
mek  her  hair  straight  as  a  poker." 

"  Have  you  got  them  with  you  ?  "  asked  Edward ; 
and  on  her  saying  "  Yeh  ;  in  my  pawket,"  and  pro 
ducing  a  pill-box  with  a  flaming  poster  inside  that 
abundantly  bore  out  all  Candy  Doll's  statements,  he 
seized  it  and  threw  it  into  the  ocean,  —  whereupon 
both  the  twins  "  howled  and  yowled  like  anything," 
to  quote  Frank's  explanation  to  fraulein. 

"  It  is  a  beastly  fraud,  I  tell  you !  Don't  you 
suppose  I  know  ?  I  mean  to  protect  you,"  said 
Edward  loftily,  thrusting  his  hands  in  his  jacket 
pocket  and  marching  up  and  down  with  much  dig 
nity.  "  It  is  my  duty  as  a  gentleman." 

"  I  don'  wan'  to  be  dat !  I  don'  wan'  to  be  dat ! 
I  wan'  my  pills,"  sobbed  Candy  Doll,  and  it  was  aU 
fraulein  could  do  to  comfort  her.  But  having  done 
so,  she  left  the  children  to  themselves,  and  going 
behind  the  cabin,  stretched  herself  out  on  a  tar 
paulin  that  had  been  left  there,  and  took  a  nap,  her 
broad,  kindly  German  face  still  protected  by  her 
goggles;  her  thick,  squat  figure  comfortably  dis- 


24  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

posed;  ber  fat  legs  and  enormous  feet  making  of 
her  what  Mabel  called  "  a  perfect  spectacle." 
Peacefully  did  the  good  soul  sleep,  loudly  snore, 
until  roused  by  a  terrific  shriek.  Rushing  round  the 
cabin  she  made  for  the  group  of  children,  and  found 
in  the  midst  of  them,  first,  Keith,  dripping  wet  and 
unconscious ;  second,  Candy  Doll,  in  an  equally 
humid  state,  but  still  with  her  bonnet  on  and  quite 
herself  ;  third,  Waggles,  wet  like  the  other  two,  but 
apparently  very  angry,  —  all  barks.  And  now  it 
came  out  that  Candy  Doll  had  rowed  Lucy  and 
Keith  back  a  bit  to  a  quiet  spot  to  teach  Lucy  how 
to  float ;  that  Keith  had  tumbled  into  the  water  fol 
lowed  by  Waggles ;  that  Candy  Doll  had  fished  him 
out  and  brought  him  back  to  the  island.  Water 
was  her  native  element,  and  she  was  as  much  at  home 
in  it  as  one  of  the  alligators  which  she  alone  feared. 
There  was  a  great  outcry  and  excitement,  of  course  ; 
but  in  a  few  minutes  Keith  was  as  well  as  ever,  and 
Daddy  Dick  was  calling  out  from  the  cabin  that  the 
fish  were  fried,  when  off  trooped  the  hungry  flock 
of  children,  eager  to  eat  their  share  and  tell  Mrs. 
Norton  their  tale. 


CHAPTER  III 

A   FAMILY    FEAST,    AND    THE    BIG    CATCH 

IT  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  the  little  party 
assembled  under  the  tree  near  the  cabin,  around  a 
rough  pine  table  that  Sam  had  scoured.  At  one 
end  was  a  royal,  Homeric  pile  of  fish,  browned  to  a 
turn,  a  huge  bowl  of  hominy  smoked  at  the  other, 
and  between  were  spread  out  all  the  goodies  that 
Maumer  Oney  had  prepared  ;  in  the  centre  blushed 
Daddy  Dick's  "  watermillion."  Youpam  and  Candy 
Doll  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  with  Waggles  beside 
them  in  an  attitude  most  expressive  of  gentlemanly 
expectancy  of  innumerable  bones.  The  proverbial 
appetite  that  waits  on  picnics  was  not  absent.  Frau- 
lein  especially  distinguished  herself  in  this  line. 

"There  are  better  things  than  catching  fish,  eh, 
fraulein  ?  "  said  Mr.  Norton,  as  he  helped  her  to  her 
fourteenth  crisp,  brown,  delicious  silver  fish. 

"Laugh  not  at  me,  Herr  Norton, '  the  good  diges 
tion  waits  on  appetite,  and  health  on  both.'  Ate  I 
never  anything  more  tastesome,  —  say  you  not  so  ?  " 
said  fraulein  amiably. 


26  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  Toothsome,"  corrected  Mrs.  Norton.  "  I  think 
your  word  better,  though,  I  am  sure." 

"  I  was  so  ongry  und  tirsty  dat  I  almost  fell  to- 
gezzer  before  you  called  us.  The  picnic  he  is  nice 
—  but  very  exhaustions,  no  ?  "  said  fraulein,  turn 
ing  her  blue  goggles  with  an  expressive  smile  upon 
Mabel. 

"  I  am  not  tired  at  all.  Just  look  at  Keith.  Poor 
darling  !  He  has  had  enough  of  it  —  quite.  He 
looks  pale  still  from  his  fright,"  said  Mabel. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  what  I  felt  when  I  looked  across 
the  water  and  saw  his  white  frock  just  going  down, 
mamma,"  said  Lucy. 

"Don't  speak  of  it,"  cried  Mrs.  Norton  impul 
sively.  "  It  was  so  wrong  of  you,  Lucy,  to  allow 
him  to  go  in  the  boat  at  all." 

"  He  cried  so  when  we  started  that  we  said  — 
we  thought —  But,  dear  mamma,  you  ought  to 
have  seen  Candy  Doll !  She  got  to  him  in  no  time, 
took  his  dress  in  her  teeth  on  one  side,  and  Waggles, 
if  you  will  believe  me,  caught  hold  on  the  other, 
and  they  got  him  ashore  in  no  time." 

"  The  picnic  he  is  not  good  for  the  little  child. 
He  is  more  better  as  he  is  in  the  norsery,"  remarked 
fraulein. 

"I  agree  with  you,  fraulein,"  said  Mr.  Norton. 


A  FAMILY  FEAST  27 

"  No  more  expeditions  of  the  kind  for  you,  little 
man,  until  you  are  a  good  five  years  older.  Sam, 
more  fish." 

"  What,  papa,  all  that  mountain  gone  ? "  asked 
Mrs.  Norton.  "  Well  done,  children  !  Papa,  Lucy 
has  more  color  to-day  than  I  have  seen  her  have 
for  a  year.  She  looks  more  like  the  children  at 
home,  doesn't  she?  Our  English  roses  all  disap 
pear  in  this  hot  climate,  and  it  is  really  a  grief  to 
me  to  see  my  flock  so  scrawny  and  "  — 

"  '  Greenery  —  yellery  —  Grosvenor     gallery,'  ' 
quoted  Mabel. 

"  It  is  the  malaria  what  promiscuates  down  here, 
I  imaginate,"  said  fraulein  gravely,  attacking  her 
fifteenth  fish  and  looking  very  scientific.  "  So  !  " 

"  Precisely.  That  is  about  it.  I  wish  it  were  a 
great  deal  more  haughty  and  exclusive,  I  am  sure," 
replied  Mr.  Norton.  "  Sam,  cut  the  watermelon. 
And,  hello,  Candy  Doll !  what  is  the  matter  with 
you,  something  wrong  with  your  starboard  sheet, 
is  n't  there  ?  " 

"  She  had  to  put  on  my  petticoat,  papa.  Please 
not  to  remark  upon  it,"  whispered  Lucy,  who  was  at 
his  elbow. 

"  Oh,  that 's  it,  is  it  ?  But  why  don't  you  eat 
something,  Candy  Doll,"  looking  at  the  great  heap 


28  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

of  bones  and  then  at  the  pair  who  were  now  grin 
ning  delightedly  at  him  from  behind  enormous 
slices  of  the  pinkest  and  wettest  of  watermelons. 
"  How  many  fish  have  you  eaten  ?  " 

"I  've  done  eat  till  I  'm  most  bust  and  Youpam 
is  bust.  Dey  was  so  good  I  rnos'  fell  right  off  dis 
here  log,  and  he  done  shed  he  buttons  all  'round. 
I  'se  pinned  him  up  wid  a  torn,  dough,"  said  Candy 
Doll,  and  proceeded  to  run  her  watermelon  rind 
rapidly  all  over  her  face. 

"  What 's  that  for,"  asked  Edward  severely. 

"  Dat  's  for  my  skin,  sah,"  replied  Candy  Doll, 
and  the  children  burst  out  laughing  over  her  wet 
face  and  white  teeth  and  snapping  black  eyes. 

"  She  is  always  doing  something  for  her  com 
plexion.  As  if  it  were  any  good  !  Such  rot!  "  re 
marked  Edward  with  heat.  "  Her  mother  is  daft 
on  the  subject.  She  washes  in  dew  sometimes." 

"And  sometimes  in  buttermilk,"  said  Frank, 
"  and  then  drinks  the  buttermilk." 

"  She  is  —  what  you  call  in  Anglish  —  gump  ?  " 
said  fraulein,  who  was  much  interested  in  acquiring 
what  she  called  "  the  idiotisms  of  the  country." 

To  everybody's  surprise  Lucy  here  broke  out  with, 
"  She  is  n't  a  gump  at  all !  She  is  my  friend ;  and 
I  love  her,"  —  and  burst  into  tears. 


A  FAMILY  FEAST  29 

"  That 's  right.  Stand  up  for  your  friends,  Lucy," 
said  Mr.  Norton  ;  "  more  bread,  Sam." 

"  What  are  you  such  awful  nuts  on  Candy  Doll 
for  ?  "  said  Frank  with  scorn. 

"  'Awful  nuts '  is  also  an  idiotism  ? "  inquired 
fraulein  politely. 

"  Exactly,"  replied  Mr.  Norton  dryly.  "  No  slang, 
Frank,  my  boy.  The  English  language  can  ex 
press  anything  that  you  are  likely  to  say  without  it, 
I  do  assure  you." 

"  Papa,  dear,  look  at  that  sail,  and  see  how  high 
the  water  seems  to  brim  above  the  rushes.  The 
view  from  here  is  really  as  pretty  a  one  as  can  be 
found  in  a  flat  country.  I  think  I  '11  make  a  sketch 
of  the  cabin  after  dinner.  That  queer,  daubed, 
wattled  chimney  is  really  most  picturesque,"  said 
Mrs.  Norton ;  and  they  fixed  their  eyes  upon  a  sail 
boat  which  was  tacking  about  one  of  the  distant 
waterways,  and  seemed  to  be  sailing  across  a  sea 
of  green  rushes  now  and  then,  no  water  being 
visible. 

"  Candy  Doll  must  now  dance  for  us,"  said  Mrs. 
Norton.  "  Come  here,  child,  and  dance  for  Frau 
lein  Dinkspiel." 

"  Sphiel,  madame,  if  it  so  blease  you,"  interrupted 
fraulein  firmly. 


30  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Mrs.  Norton  meekly, 
being  one  of  the  gentlest  of  her  sex. 

"  Can  she  the  valse  dance  ?  Come,  little  one,  I 
will  sing  Johann  Strauss  for  thee,"  said  fraulein, 
and  was  as  good  as  her  word.  But  Candy  Doll 
was  mute  and  still,  and  gazed  at  her  abashed  for  a 
moment. 

Then  she  suddenly  bent  herself  double  almost, 
and  crooning  a  wild  African  chant  of  her  own,  she 
started  off  quickly,  then  bounded  here  and  there, 
flung  her  arms  about,  stamped,  roared,  subsided, 
whirled  right,  whirled  left,  jumped  into  the  air, 
again  stamped,  whirled,  and  finally  suddenly  col 
lapsed  with  a  moan  on  the  ground,  nor  would  she 
move  for  fully  half  an  hour. 

"  She  is  then  f raish  from  Congo  ?  New-come  ? 
Doubtless  !  Saw  I  nefer  the  laike  !  It  was  so  — 
what  you  call  him  ?  —  primitive,  elemental.  The 
monkeys,  the  cocoanuts,  the  forest,  the  naked  sav 
age,  —  all  is  there.  I  cannot  tell  you  all  what  I  see 
and  hear  in  this.  I  would  gif  a  month's  salary  to 
take  that  little  black  bird,  that  danseuse  Africaine, 
back  to  Switzerland  wid  me  and  make  her  dance 
for  the  amusement  of  my  beople.  Saw  I  nefer  the 
laike, —  nefer.  Encore!  Encore!"  cried  fraulein 
enthusiastically. 


A  FAMILY  FEAST  31 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Mrs.  Norton.  "  It  is  as 
African  as  Africa,  and  always  appeals  enormously 
to  my  imagination.  And  my  relatives,  when  they 
come  out  here,  are  all  fascinated  by  Candy  Doll. 
They  have  all  sketched  her,  and  tipped  her,  and 
chaffed  her,  and  spoiled  her  generally.  But  as  to 
an  encore,  look  at  her  !  She  is  perfectly  exhausted. 
It  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  fit  —  not  a  dance  at  all ;  ) 
and  can  you  imagine  anything  as  downright  un 
canny  as  the  music,  —  the  whole  performance  ?  " 

"  She  won't  give  it  always  —  very  rarely  —  no 
thing  will  tempt  her  unless  she  is  in  the  mood. 
We  've  tried  to  tempt  her  often,  have  n't  we, 
mamma?"  "She  won't  dance  at  all,  either,  unless 
she  has  her  rabbit's  foot  on,  —  the  left  hind  leg 
taken  in  a  cemetery,  in  the  dark  of  the  moon,"  said 
Mabel.  «  That 's  to  keep  off  evil." 

Now  during  this  performance  Mr.  Norton  had 
been  smoking  and  idly  regarding  the  dance,  the 
children  about  him,  the  servants  who  were  clearing 
the  table,  the  still  more  distant  white  sail.  He  now 
rose  suddenly  to  his  feet,  exclaiming  :  "  By  George, 
we  are  going  to  catch  it !  "  and  forthwith  he  hurried 
the  entire  party  into  the  cabin,  pulled  down  the  win 
dows,  after  closing  and  barring  the  wooden  shutters, 
and  then  hurried  out  to  have  the  boats  pulled  up 


32  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

and  stowed  under  the  house.  His  eye  had  long 
been  used  to  studying  the  sea  and  sky.  He  had 
seen  the  sailboat  struck  down  as  by  a  blow,  careen, 
disappear.  He  had  seen  a  cloud  —  he  knew  it  well 
—  more  clouds  —  felt  the  change  that  was  coming. 
Indeed,  before  he  got  back  to  the  cabin  the  storm 
had  come.  The  merriment  of  the  family  party  was 
now  all  gone,  and  replaced  by  the  gravest  concern. 
They  had,  of  course,  no  wraps,  and  it  had  turned 
cold.  They  had  no  lights.  There  was  only  one 
chair  and  a  rickety  couch  in  the  way  of  accommoda 
tion,  the  property  of  old  Daniel,  who  lived  there  and 
had  gone  to  town.  Sam  and  Daddy  Dick  hastily 
made  up  a  little  fire  from  a  very  small  stock  of  wood 
that  Daniel  had  put  in  the  corner,  and  they  all  hud 
dled  around  it.  Mrs.  Norton  was  given  the  only 
chair.  Fraulein  Dinkspiel  sat  on  Daniel's  bed,  with 
many  a  glance  of  squeamish  dislike  at  his  mattress 
and  sheet.  Mr.  Norton  paced  the  floor.  It  was  a 
dreadful  position  for  him,  for  he  alone  could  really 
estimate  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  the  exposed 
position  of  Curlew  Island ;  and  long  before  the  At 
lantic  was  heard  thundering  along  its  beach,  while 
peal  after  peal  crashed  above  them,  brave  man 
though  he  was,  he  turned  pale,  as  he  looked  at  his 
dear  ones.  In  a  little  while  the  fire  burned  low, 


A  FAMILY  FEAST  33 

flickered,  showed  a  few  red  embers,  died  out  en 
tirely.  The  cold  increased.  Conversation  became 
almost  impossible,  for  so  great  was  the  noise  outside 
that  it  drowned  every  voice.  Mrs.  Norton  gathered 
her  children  about  her,  and  in  the  goodness  of  her 
heart  made  a  place  for  Candy  Doll  and  Youpam, 
whom  she  often  reassured  and  comforted,  laying 
a  hand  on  their  heads.  Then  the  cabin  began  to 
shake  in  every  timber,  and  the  windows  rattled 
under  the  blows  of  the  wind,  and  the  thunder  pealed, 
and,  worst  of  all,  they  could  hear  the  water  swirling 
under  the  house,  dashing  against  it,  lifting  great 
battering-rams  in  the  way  of  drift-logs,  and  assailing 
them  with  the  utmost  fury. 

Daddy  Dick  and  Sam  began  to  shout  and  pray 
and  groan,  and  make  themselves  heard  above  all  the 
fury  of  the  tempest.  As  for  Mr.  Norton,  he  acted 
with  the  greatest  calmness,  and  spoke  with  the  ut 
most  cheerfulness,  but  his  heart  sank  fearfully  when 
the  door  was  burst  open  the  second  time  and  the 
floor  was  found  to  be  under  water.  But  after  this 
climax  to  their  woes  had  been  reached,  the  wind  first 
veered,  then  dropped ;  the  rain  ceased,  the  breakers 
gradually  returned  to  their  magnificent,  limitless 
ocean-bed  on  an  ebb-tide,  and  Mr.  Norton  at  last 
dared  to  open  the  door  and  let  in  a  little  daylight 


34  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

upon  a  badly  scared,  miserable  group  of  prisoners, 
who  all  trooped  together  to  the  doorsill  and  looked 
out  upon  an  angry,  wild  sweep  of  waters,  a  shining, 
drenched  island,  a  blessed  bit  of  sun  just  above  the 
horizon.  Steps,  boats,  trees,  there  were  none.  As 
soon  as  it  was  practicable  they  all  thankfully  set  foot 
on  terra  firma  again,  and  were  not  above  thanking 
the  good  God,  who  had  preserved  them  "  in  the  midst 
of  so  many  and  such  great  dangers,"  led  by  Mr. 
Norton.  Candy  Doll  ran  off  like  a  lapwing  as  soon 
as  she  was  liberated.  They  could  see  her  scudding 
along  the  beach,  barefooted,  bareheaded,  her  skirts 
fluttering  in  the  wind,  her  arms  held  up  above  her 
head. 

"Such  a  wild  thing,"  said  Mr.  Norton.  "But 
what  are  we  to  do  ?  I  see  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait 
here  until  we  are  sent  for.  Caruthers  was  to  get 
home  last  night.  He  will  be  sure  to  come  in  search 
of  us  now  that  the  storm  is  over.  But  what  is 
this?" 

This  was  Candy  Doll,  who  now  rushed  toward 
them  and  dropped  at  their  very  feet,  her  eyes  almost 
out  of  their  sockets,  her  rabbit's  foot  clutched  in 
her  right  hand,  her  hair  literally  on  end,  and  no  fig 
ure  of  speech  about  it,  her  face  wearing  the  peculiar 
ashy  pallor  of  her  race  when  badly  frightened. 


A  FAMILY  FEAST  35 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Norton,  and  getting  no  answer  he  seized  the  child 
and  repeated  the  question. 

"  Ober  yander  —  fish  —  bigger  dan  de  house  — 
0  Lord !  0  Lord ! "  was  all  the  poor  child  could 
gasp  out,  and  then  she  threw  herself  down  and 
buried  her  face  in  the  sand,  beat  her  head  against 
the  earth,  and  drummed  violently  with  her  legs  in 
the  extremity  of  her  mortal  terror. 

Off  started  Mr.  Norton  in  a  brisk  run,  not  indeed 
believing  the  report,  but  expecting  to  see  a  porpoise 
beached  by  the  storm.  ^  But  in  a  little  while  Mrs. 
Norton  heard  him  shouting  loudly  for  her,  and  the 
entire  family  party  ran  with  varying  degrees  of  swift 
ness  down  to  the  inlet.  And  there,  plainly  visible 
to  all  eyes,  was  as  magnificent  a  specimen  of  the 
genus  whale  as  ever  sported  off  the  coast  of  Labra 
dor,  moving  like  a  majestic  mountain  among  the 
shallow  breakers  of  the  inlet. 


ALL   THE    WORLD    SEES   A   PRISONER,    AND    CANDY 
DOLL    A    PROPHET 

THERE  was  the  whale  and  no  mistake,  though 
such  a  thing  had  never  happened  before  in  the  his 
tory  of  the  county.  Before  they  had  done  with  him 
nothing  could  have  exceeded  the  anxiety  and  deter 
mination  of  the  entire  community  to  get  rid  of  the 
fine  fellow ;  but  at  first,  great  was  the  joy  over  him. 
Corporations  quarreled  over  him ;  counties  repudi 
ated  him ;  thousands  of  people  who  had  rejoiced 
over  him  turned  from  him  in  utter  disgust  eventu 
ally  ;  but  when  it  was  known  that  a  whale  had  been 
washed  into  the  inlet  of  Curlew  Island  (one  of  na 
ture's  traps),  everybody  was  delighted.  -The  whole 
population  first  turned  out  to  see  him.  Rival  muse 
ums  put  in  bids  for  him.  Scientists  studied  him  ; 
sailors  and  soldiers  wrangled  over  the  privilege  of 
catching  him  ;  soap-factories  and  companies  coveted 
him.  Merchants  forsook  their  offices  for  him ;  bank 
officers,  even,  took  a  holiday  to  view  him.  In  all 


A  PRISONER  37 

the  countryside  no  one  was  so  poor,  old,  busy,  lame, 
sick,  feeble,  young,  but  that  he  or  she  cftuld  go  to 
Curlew  Island,  when  once  the  news  got  abroad. 
The  very  blind  came  to  "  see  "  what  they  could  as 
well  have  heard  described  at  home  by  their  own 
firesides,  and  only  a  few  good-natured  folk,  of  the 
class  generally  regarded  as  "  no-account,"  took  the 
trouble  to  tell  them  anything  about  the  wonderful 
monster,  when  they  got  there,  so  curious  and  busy 
was  everybody  in  gazing  and  gazing  upon  and  gos 
siping  about  the  wonderful  visitor.  It  was  not 
surprising,  then,  that  the  Nortons  forgot  all  about 
going  home ;  about  being  succored  by  Mr.  Caruth- 
ers ;  that  Mr.  Norton  seized  the  first  boat  that  ap 
peared  and  repaired  to  the  nearest  telegraph  station 
to  communicate  with  the  authorities,  who  no  more 
believed  him  at  first  than  he  had  believed  Candy 
Doll;  that  fraulein  took  off  her  goggles,  and  got 
out  her  general  information  about  whales  for  the 
benefit  of  her  charges;  that  the  boys  could  not 
listen  for  excitement,  darting  here  and  there  contin 
ually  with  exclamations  and  cries  of  interest  and 
delight ;  that  Candy  Doll  declared  that  she  had 
"  seen  Jonah  ;  "  that  people  soon  began  to  ooze  from 
every  fen,  and  marsh,  and  field,  and  farm,  and  town 
for  twenty  miles  around,  and  soon  made  an  im- 

452660 


38  A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

promptu  bridge  of  boats  between  the  island  and  the 
back  country,  as  they  hastily  cast  anchor  and  rushed 
ashore. 

All  that  day  the  mighty  monster  swam  uneasily 
about  a  considerable  body  of  water  which  yet  must 
have  seemed  to  him  as  but  a  tank,  heading  this  way 
and  that,  trying  to  find  his  familiar  home,  the  ocean. 

But  he  could  never  get  over  the  bar,  of  course, 
and  next  day  appeared  a  great  collection  of  men,  — 
ship-captains,  engineers,  fishermen,  clergymen,  law 
yers,  doctors,  planters,  negroes,  —  and  two  or  three 
boats  were  manned  and  sallied  forth  to  attack  the 
poor  bewildered  prisoner,  who,  nevertheless,  gave 
a  good  account  of  himself  when  the  time  came. 
With  quite  a  mild  flap  of  his  tail,  he  wiped  out  two 
boats  and  seven  men  ;  and  in  spite  of  all  the  ropes 
with  which  he  was  bound,  when  he  began  to  be  har 
pooned,  and  towed,  and  worried,  and  wounded,  he 
gave  such  dashes  and  lashes,  such  leaps  and  bounds, 
he  spouted  so  superbly,  and  fought  so  bravely,  that 
a  more  interesting  and  dangerous  capture  was  never 
made.  It  was  remembered  and  recalled  and  ro 
manced  about,  recorded,  exaggerated,  enjoyed,  for 
years  afterwards  by  everybody  who  had  taken,  or 
imagined  that  they  had  any  share  in  it  whatever, 
from  Candy  Doll,  who  discovered  him,  to  Captain 


A  PRISONER  39 

Hewitt,  who  commanded  the  small  fleet  of   boats 
engaged. 

When  the  poor  creature  was  finally  landed  on  the 
beach,  and  man,  whom  he  had  never  injured,  had 
done  his  worst  by  him,  in  the  way  of  contemptu 
ously  prying  open  his  noble  jaws,  measuring  him, 
disemboweling  him,  carrying  away  all  of  him  that 
was  desired  in  the  way  of  teeth,  oil,  bones,  and  what 
not,  —  an  affair  at  which  Waggles  assisted  with  alert 
intelligence  and  evident  enjoyment,  —  the  whale's 
revenge  began,  and  a  fine,  searching,  wholesale  re 
venge  it  was,  too,  for  the  stench  from  his  carcass 
filled  whole  counties  with  an  intolerable  horror  in 
the  way  of  a  smell ;  and  now  no  one  was  bold 
enough  to  visit  the  mighty  fallen  one  save  the  car 
rion  that  hovered  like  a  cloud  over  him.  Daddy 
Dick,  who  was  in  one  of  the  boats,  always  main 
tained  that  he  killed  him.  Fraulein  classified  him, 
and  wrote  an  account  of  him  for  the  "  Garten 
Laube,"  for  which  she  subscribed,  and  in  which 
she  delighted.  Candy  Doll  became  the  heroine  of 
the  countryside,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  kind 
Heaven  forgave  her  all  the  stories  she  told  about 
her  share  in  the  transaction  all  her  life  long.  She 
promptly  donned  the  yellow  sunbonnet  again,  when 
Mr.  Caruthers  duly  appeared  (the  second  day  after 


40  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

the  one  on  which  he  was  expected),  and  Lucy  it  was 
who  this  time  pulled  up  the  pig-tail  through  the  hole 
on  top  of  the  crown  for  her,  saying,  "  You  found 
the  whale,  Candy  Doll,  and  I  am  going  to  help  you 
whenever  you  want  me  to." 

"  Hello,  Caruthers  !  You  are  just  in  time,  I 
can  tell  you,  for  we  only  came  over  for  the  day, 
you  know,  and  we  have  been  here  three  days,  ma 
rooning  as  best  we  could  and  living  off  the  neigh 
bors.  I  suppose  you  have  seen  the  whale  ?  Oh, 
yes,  of  course,  you  went  there  first.  We  've  all  seen 
it ;  seen  nothing  else ;  heard  nothing  else  ever  since 
we  came.  But  Candy  Doll  here  is  the  only  person 
who  has  seen  Jonah.  Tell  Mr.  Caruthers  what  he 
looks  like,  child,"  said  Mr.  Norton. 

Whereupon  Candy  Doll,  I  regret  to  say,  gave 
the  most  full,  private,  and  particular  account  of  the 
great  prophet  as  he  first  appeared  to  her,  "  riding 
de  whale." 

"  You  see  you  have  missed  a  great  deal,  Caruthers. 
That  will  do,  Candy  Doll ;  you  can  go  now.  And 
you  need  n't  wear  that  bonnet  any  more.  All  you 
need  for  your  complexion  is  a  whale.  You  '11  find 
Mrs.  Norton  inside,  Caruthers,  and  precious  glad 
to  see  you,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Little  Keith  has  fever,  and  we  have  no  quinine 


A  PRISONER  41 

with  us,  and  we  are  anxious  to  get  home/'  said  Mrs. 
Norton  ;  "  I  '11  just  pick  up  things  and  get  ready  to 
start.  I  wonder  where  those  boys  of  mine  are." 

Mr.  Caruthers,  who  was  a  perfect  type  of  a  dis 
creet,  prudent  young  Virginian,  had  not  lived  in 
the  South  five  years  for  nothing.  He  took  a  small 
quinine  pill  every  morning  of  his  life,  as  regularly 
as  his  bath,  had  a  box  of  them  in  his  pocket  at 
the  time,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  administer  one 
to  the  curly-haired,  sweet  little  fellow,  of  whom  he 
was  so  fond ;  and  presently  the  boys  were  found 
at  the  other  end  of  the  Island,  where  they  had  been 
catching  fiddlers  and  a  goodly  number  of  crabs, 
and  were  so  burnt  that  Mabel  used  up,  in  her  kind, 
mothering  fashion,  a  whole  bottle  of  Pond's  Extract 
on  blistered  legs,  and  then  only  heard,  "  Ouch  !  " 
from  one  or  other  of  them  all  during  the  pull  home, 
as  they  moved  about  in  the  boat.  As  Daddy  Dick's 
and  Sam's  and  Daniel's  swift,  vigorous  strokes  sent 
them  flying  through  the  waterways,  Mr.  Norton 
bade  the  men  sing,  and  as  there  never  was  a  negro 
who  could  not  sing,  so  there  never  can  be  found  two 
or  three  gathered  in  the  same  place  that  one  does 
not  hear  wonderful  part-singing.  Tune,  time,  are 
not  only  beautifully  kept,  but  all  the  harmonies 
of  the  different  parts  correctly  invented  and  given 


42  A    GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

in  voices  that  are  often  exquisite  in  tone,  color, 
body,  sweetness,  —  voices  that  if  they  were  set  in 
white  bodies  and  given  the  instruction  of  European 
masters,  would  make  fame  and  fortune  for  their 
fortunate  possessors.  Mr.  Caruthers,  who  was  pas 
sionately  fond  of  music,  and  fraulein,  who  was 
skilled  in  it,  listened  with  delight  as  the  trio  "  raised 
de  chune  o'  Pharaoh  hose,"  and  rolled  out :  — 

"  An'  did  n't  ole  Pharaoh  hose  git  lawss,  git  lawss,  in  dat  Red  Sea  ! 
An'  did  n't  ole  Pharaoh  hose   git  lawss,  git  lawss,   in   dat   Red 

Sea  — 
In  dat  Red  Sea;  in  dat  Red  Sea;  O,  ho-o-o,  O,  ho  !     Sing,  Sam  !  " 

in  delightful  accord ;  Candy  Doll  and  Youpam  join 
ing  in  the  chorus  with  the  same  taste  and  talent, 
even  at  their  age. 

"  I  heard  a  quartette  of  men  singing  hymns  the 
other  day  on  Colonel  Merriman's  place,  and  I  give 
you  my  word  that  I  have  never  heard  such  voices 
in  my  life,  though  I  've  been  to  all  the  large  cities, 
and  have  heard  all  the  great  singers  of  the  day  who 
have  come  to  this  country.  There  are  no  fogs,  no 
east  winds,  no  colds,  no  throat  troubles  down  here, 
and  that  doubtless  gives  that  wonderful  timbre  and 
mellow  beauty  that  one  hears  among  the  colored 
people ;  but  how  can  such  rude,  untutored  creatures 
as  these  plantation  <  hands '  get  their  thirds  and 


A  PRISONER  43 

fifths  so  accurately  by  instinct?"  said  Mr.  Caruthers 
to  fraulein  when  the  song  ceased,  a  jubilant  shout, 
floating  off  and  off  across  the  water. 

"  It  is  de  gift  of  de  All-Good  to  dese  His  poor, 
despised  children,  —  one  of  de  most  refined  and 
beautiful  of  dem  all,  and  not  reserved,  instead,  for 
de  conceited,  selfish,  dominant  races  what  would 
all  have,  and  would  leave  for  dem  nodings  in  art 
as  in  Africa,"  replied  fraulein.  "  Pouf  !  But  de 
white  man  can  speh1  one  wort  bot'  ways,  '  grab '  and 
<  brag.'  " 

"  Mamma,  Frank  will  certainly  be  out  of  the  boat 
in  another  minute  unless  you  speak  to  him,"  com 
plained  Mabel,  who  was  always  all  eyes  and  ears  for 
the  younger  children,  as  became  an  "  eldest." 

"  I  won't  at  all ;  Mabel  is  always  bothering.  I 
was  just  letting  niy  hands  run  through  the  water 
a  bit.  There  is  no  harm  in  that,"  said  Frank. 

"Change  places  with  him,  Lucy,"  commanded 
Mr.  Norton.  "  Go  over  there  by  your  mother, 
Frank,  and  don't  forget  again  that  your  mother 
does  not  like  to  see  you  do  that." 

"  Miss  Mabel  is  extremely  good  and  kind  to  you 
youngsters,  I  can  tell  you,"  said  Mr.  Caruthers, 
"  and  you  'd  better  try  to  deserve  it ;  not  many  boys 
have  such  a  sister." 


44  A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Mabel  blushed  prettily,  hearing  herself  thus 
kindly  praised  by  her  clever  tutor,  and  blushed 
again  more  deeply  still  when  he  added,  "  I  '11  be 
bound  she  has  a  pair  of  scissors  and  a  book  of 
court  plaster  and  sticking  plaster  in  her  pocket  for 
those  boys  this  minute.  I  'd  wager  anything  that 
she  has." 

"  I  have,"  said  Mabel,  laughing,  as  she  drew  them 
out,  —  a  laugh  that  the  boys  developed  into  a  loud 
guffaw. 

It  was  nearly,  indeed  quite  dark  by  the  time  they 
entered  Bolton's  Cut,  the  sun  having  dropped, 
with  the  sudden  plunge  of  the  tropics,  behind  the 
big  trees  on  Howard's  Island ;  and  now  the  chil 
dren  reached  down  in  the  boat  to  get  out  a  whole 
collection  of  cat-tails  mysteriously  stored  there  and 
steeped  in  kerosene,  also  some  lanterns  with  colored 
papers  twisted  about  them.  With  these  they  made 
what  they  called  "  a  grand  triumphant  entry  "  into 
Milford's  Cut,  and  then  into  the  waterway  of  the 
Carlton  property,  and  so  on,  up  to  the  "  Neosha  " 
landing. 

"  Keith  is  fast  asleep,  poor  boy,  and  I  am  as 
stiff  as  a  rheumatic  old  woman  of  ninety.  I  won 
der  if  Maumer  Oney  has  a  good  supper  for  us," 
said  Mrs.  Norton,  as  Mr.  Norton  picked  up  the 
sleeping  child  and  bore  him  across  the  lawn. 


A  PRISONER  45 

Little  Maria  was  polishing  the  deer's  antlers  and 
the  mahogany  furniture  in  the  hall  as  they  en 
tered  it. 

"  She  has  n't  touched  it  since  I  went  away," 
thought  Mrs.  Norton,  and  said  aloud,  "  Well,  Ma 
ria,  has  everything  gone  all  right  at  home  ?  Where 
is  Maumer  Oney  ?  " 

"  We  thought  you  was  daide,"  replied  Little 
Maria,  in  a  low  tone  of  mournful  enjoyment.  Life 
was  a  luxury  of  woe  to  her,  always.  When  asked 
how  she  felt,  she  had  always  "  a  misery  somewhere  ; " 
if  whether  she  was  coming  or  going  anywhere,  her 
reply  was  invariably,  "  Ef  I  'm  livin',"  though  she 
was  in  the  prime  of  life,  in  the  most  perfect  health, 
and  in  her  wildest  spirits. 

Meanwhile  Candy  Doll  was  holding  Maumer 
Oney  and  the  audience  in  the  kitchen  spell-bound 
by  her  account  of  the  adventures  through  which 
they  had  passed,  and  the  Nortons  were  only  too 
thankful  to  find  themselves  again  in  their  delightful 
home,  to  get  their  suppers  and  go  to  bed,  leaving 
Daddy  Dick  to  swing  the  boats  up  in  the  boat-house 
and  betake  himself  to  his  "  fa'am." 


CHAPTER  V 

A   GOOD    RESOLUTION    KEPT 

"  I  WOWED  a  wow  that  night  on  Curlew  Island. 
I  said  "  —  began  fraulein. 

"  You  did  what  ?  "  asked  Frank,  honestly  mis 
understanding  her,  and  unmindful  of  Mabel's  frown. 

"  Wowed  a  wow,"  repeated  fraulein. 

"  Vowed  a  vow,  she  means,  Frank.  Do  hush," 
whispered  Mabel. 

"  I  said  I  would  something  do  for  the  sailors  who 
come  in  here  from  all  parts  of  the  world  —  deref ore 
—  I  morst.  When  I  say  something  like  dat  — 
when  I  feel  like  dis  —  I  morst.  Gif  me  your  coun- 
selations,  deref  ore,  Madame  Norton,  — what  can  I 
do?" 

The  children  smiled  and  Mabel  again  frowned. 
Fraulein  spoke,  wrote,  taught  French,  German,  Ital 
ian,  Latin,  in  the  schoolroom  admirably,  being  a 
highly  educated  woman.  But  out  of  it  she  would 
speak  what  she  called  "  Angiish."  She  was  a  skilled 
musician,  and  played  both  the  piano  and  harp  well, 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  47 

but  she  seemed  to  regard  all  these  accomplishments 
as  matters  of  course ;  she  was  vain  only  of  her  "  Ang- 
lish,"  and  bored  Mr.  Caruthers  dreadfully  with  it. 
It  was  very  funny  to  see  them  together,  —  he  so 
anxious  to  "  practice  speaking  German,"  she  equally 
determined  to  "  imbrove  in  de  tongue  of  Shake 
speare."  He  had  a  horror  of  "  South  German,"  she 
was  terribly  afraid  of  the  President's  American; 
and  I  am  afraid  that  the  Norton  children  amused 
themselves  a  good  deal  over  the  pair.  Edward  and 
Mabel  kept  the  younger  children  down  somewhat, 
but  Frank  certainly  taught  fraulein  a  whole  lot  of 
archaic  stuff  that  had  not  been  heard  since  Shake 
speare's  day,  persuading  her  that  it  was  in  gen 
eral  use,  and  he  was  giving  her  a  valuable  cockney 
education  when  his  father  found  it  out  and  pun 
ished  him.  Frank  did  not  feel  it  necessary  to 
own  that  he  had  been  weeks  at  it,  and  sniggered 
with  delight  when  fraulein  addressed  a  neighbor 
who  called  as  "  Noble  Lady,"  and  her  husband,  an 
ex-Confederate,  as  "  Brave  Knight,"  in  accordance 
with  his  private  instructions,  backed  up  by  the  stand 
ard  edition  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  Fraulein  never 
did  get  it  out  of  her  head  that  "  varlet  "  was  a  sin 
gularly  appropriate  title  for  servants  in  general,  and 
"  By  my  halidome  "  became  her  favorite  exclama 
tion. 


48  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  I  ain't  no  varlet,  I  'm  a  culled  pusson,"  Daddy 
Dick  said  to  her  once  in  high  displeasure,  thrusting 
out  his  lip  tremendously,  and  rolling  his  eyes  angrily 
at  "  de  gubberness." 

"  So,"  said  fraulein,  falling  back  on  her  own 
tongue. 

But  to  return.  Mrs.  Norton's  advice  was  this. 
Money  was  to  be  made,  she  knew,  by  shipping  moss 
to  a  certain  address  in  Baltimore ;  fraulein  could 
take  lame  Gabriel  and  the  children,  collect  it,  dry 
it,  sell  it,  ship  it,  and  give  the  proceeds  to  the 
Sailors'  Home  in  Savannah. 

Being  a  thrifty  European  soul,  fraulein  was 
much  delighted  with  the  idea,  and  went  to  work 
with  all  her  own  faithful,  plodding  industry  to  carry 
it  out.  She  studied  the  moss  first,  classified  it  as 
"  tillandsia,"  put  it  under  her  microscope,  pressed  it  in 
her  herbarium,  and  really  taught  the  children  to  see 
it  for  the  first  time.  The  party  spent  a  great  many 
pleasant  afternoons  in  the  woods  together  about 
this  work,  —  time  not  thrown  away  for  any  of  them, 
for  fraulein  not  only  made  a  hundred  and  twenty 
dollars  for  her  mission,  but  collected  specimens  of 
all  the  flora  of  the  country,  and  Edward  eventually 
sold  his  carefully  prepared,  accurate  herbarium  in 
Germany  for  a  thousand  dollars,  while  all  the  little 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  49 

Nortons  learned  to  botanize  in  the  course  of  her 
explorations  and  collections. 

It  chanced  one  day  that  they  found  themselves 
near  Daddy  Dick's  farm,  and  being  hot  and  tired, 
they  concluded  to  see  if  they  could  get  some  but 
termilk.  The  little  dismal  cabin,  set  on  the  edge 
of  a  swamp  full  of  dead  pine-trees,  looked  melan 
choly  enough  to  fraulein,  who  mentally  contrasted 
the  house  and  scenery  with  the  mountains  and  cha 
lets  of  her  native  canton  in  Switzerland.  But  the 
children  hailed  Anna,  Daddy  Dick's  young  wife, 
who  was  hoeing  in  the  field,  and  proceeded  to  over 
run  the  place  with  her  consent  and  encouragement. 
They  hunted  for  eggs ;  they  cut  a  watermelon ;  they 
paid  a  visit  to  "  Linkum,"  and  fed  him  to  repletion 
on  cabbages,  besides  pulling  his  tail,  swarming  up 
on  his  back,  and  going  for  rides.  They  ran  races, 
pumped  water,  jumped  over  everything  low,  crawled 
under  everything  that  was  high,  and  finally. sat 
down,  exhausted,  to  eat  the  sweet  potatoes  which 
Anna  had  good  naturedly  roasted  for  them  in  the 
coals,  with  some  hoe-cakes. 

"  I  '11  get  no  moss  from  dem  to-day,"  said  frau 
lein  to  Anna,  as  she  followed  her  into  the  cabin. 

Here  was  a  little  simple,  poor  furniture  (a  clean 
bed  decked  with  a  gay  counterpane,  a  table,  stove, 


50  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

chairs),  a  string  of  red  peppers  hung  across  the 
beams,  some  pot-herbs  also.  There  was  a  pile  of 
vegetables  in  one  corner.  On  a  peg  on  the  wall 
hung  a  very  handsome  white  Leghorn  hat,  trimmed 
with  the  most  expensive  ostrich  feathers  and  ribbons, 
—  a  hat  for  a  Princess. 

"  Dat  's  my  new  hat,"  explained  Anna,  taking  it 
down  and  eyeing  it  with  pride. 

Fraulein  looked  at  Anna,  fresh  from  her  potato- 
patch,  looked  around  the  cabin,  shrugged  her 
shoulders,  and  exclaimed,  — 

"  What  a  ridiculosity  !  " 

This  remark  sounded  to  Anna  like  high  praise, 
and  she  was  so  much  pleased  that  she  went  into  a 
battered  trunk  and  picked  out  a  blue  satin  dress, 
trimmed  with  cotton  lace. 

"  Thou  loved  Heaven  !  "  exclaimed  fraulein,  who 
was  not  used  to  seeing  such  things  in  such  places 
and  believed  in  sumptuary  laws. 

Then  she  corrected  her  natural  wish  to  make  her 
own  comments  and  said  gently  :  — 

"  I  will  not  lecturefy  thee.  If  the  All-Good  allows 
thee  these  wanities,  I  will  not  wex  myself  nor  thee. 
We  have  all  our  foolishments,  my  good  woman ; " 
a  speech  which  so  puzzled  Anna  that  she  fairly 
stared  at  her  visitor.  Looking  about  her,  fraulein 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  51 

beheld  outside  on  the  little  rickety  porch  about 
•which  Anna's  pigs  were  rooting,  and  on  which  her 
hens  were  straying,  an  immensely  old  man,  seated 
in  a  cane-bottomed  rocking  chair,  Grand-Daddy 
Mose.  He  got  up,  scraped  his  right, foot,  and  pulled 
his  forelock,  as  he  greeted  her,  and  would  have 
remained  standing,  but  fraulein  would  not  allow 
this. 

"  It  is  I  who  stand  before  the  aged,"  she  said. 
"  Take  again  your  seat,  and  resume  your  ease  in 
your  house,  my  friend." 

"  De  Cunnle,  he  mek  me  sit  down  allus,"  said 
Daddy  Mose,  falling  back  into  the  chair  from  which 
he  had  risen  with  so  much  effort. 

"  Dat  boy  of  mine  got  a  fine  fa'am,  ma'am,  here, 
—  a  fine  fa'am." 

Fraulein  looked  out  at  the  dead  pines,  the  scant 
grass,  the  melancholy  garden,  the  lean  pigs,  and  in 
at  the  cabin.  She  thought  of  the  really  fine  farms 
she  had  seen  in  France,  Germany,  Holland,  Italy, 
England,  and  sighed ;  then  she  smiled,  —  a  smile  that 
made  her  homely  features  lovely  for  the  moment. 

"  Good  is  our  God.  It  is  for  you,  that.  The 
rich  only  are  widout  content,  possessing  too  much. 
Are  all  the  people  of  your  race  like  you,  so  simple, 
und  well  pleased  ?  " 


52  A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Before  Daddy  Mose  could  answer,  in  trooped  all 
the  children. 

"  You  have  been  making  friends  with  Daddy 
Mose,  I  see.  He  is  a  wonderful  old  man,  —  over  a 
hundred,  —  and  he  knows  lots  of  things  that  we 
don't,"  said  Mabel.  "  Don't  you,  Daddy  Mose  ?  " 

"  Mebbe,"  replied  the  old  man  meekly  ;  "  de  ole 
is  boun'  to  git  some  sense  in  'em  of  de  Lord's  givin', 
by  de  time  dey  done  loss  all  dey  had  of  dere  own 
what  dey  call  gumption." 

"  Yes,  Daddy  Mose  has  made  some  great  discov 
eries,  fraulein.  He  is  an  ethnologist,  and  has  dis 
covered  the  origin  of  the  white  race  and  of  the 
black  race.  Tell  our  governess,  tell  us,  Daddy 
Mose,  about  —  you  know  —  that  story  of  yours?" 

Thus  urged,  the  old  man  cleared  his  throat,  and 
spread  his  bandanna  on  his  knee.  At  this  moment 
another  old  man  came  in  sight  and  an  old  woman. 
They  joined  the  group  on  the  porch.  The  Norton 
children  perched  anywhere  and  everywhere.  A 
chair  was  brought  for  fraulein  by  Anna,  and  with 
a  deprecating  but  earnest  look  Daddy  Mose  began 
his  tale :  — 

"  My  bruddah  and  sistah,  I  bin  in  dishyer  worl' 
long  time  befo'  de  Newnion  come  een,  —  long 
time  befo'  Gin'l  Grant,  an'  Shumman  run  Gin'l 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  53 

Lee  an'  Mass'  Elliott  off  Sulliman  Ilan'.  I  bin  a 
preachin'  de  wud  o'  de  Spirit  when  all  youah  bin  in 
slaberyment,  and  I  gwineter  lucidation  to-day  how 
Adam  git  leff  by  Nigerdemus,  an'  how  'e  come  to 
pass  dat  de  fuss  Buckrah  walk  'pun  top  o'  de  ert. 
Ahem  —  ahem  !  De  whole  ting  come  to  pass  some- 
ting  like  o'  dis :  De  Lord  been  a  -  walk  in  de 
gyahd'n  diss  about  de  cool  o'  de  day  wid  he  beevah 
hat  an'  he  walkin'-cane.  De  big  horn  done  blow, 
an  all  de  ban'  bin  a-sit  down,  rasslin'  wid  de  cole 
bittle,  an'  a-trowin'  an'  a-ketchin'  foolishness  one  to 
anurrer.  Same  like  dat  de  voice  o'  de  Lord  soun' 
out  like  de  lite'nin'  in  de  nite.  De  Lord  tu'n  short 
in  de  paht  troo'  de  orchard,  an'  bin  a  walk  ober 
by  de  rice-fiel'  dam.  Soon  ez  he  git  by  dat  wintah 
apple-tree,  he  stan'  up  stock  still,  an'  gaze  'pun  um 
wid  grate  expishun.  'T  ain't  a  ban'  on  de  place 
what  ain't  drop  de  kittle  an'  spoon  an'  ting,  an'  gaze 
good  fashion,  all  in  a  trimble  like,  on  de  good  Mas- 
sah.  De  bittle  puah  stan'  like  'e  freeze  in  ebrybody 
mout.  By  and  by,  diss  like  I  tell  you,  all  to  once  de 
ert  rock,  an'  de  sky  split  wid  de  powerfulness  o'  de 
grateness  o'  de  Lord.  He  bex  till  de  bexness  o'  he 
spirit  set  all  de  people  to  cratolin'  on  dey  face. 
Nieder  Buckrah,  nieder  so  Nigger,  kin  biggin  f  uh  to 
onderstan'  de  tribulashun  an'  de  terrificashun  o'  dat 


54  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

day,  whichin  't  was  12  o'clock.  De  hoss  an'  mule 
leff  de  plough  an'  scatterate  to  de  pine  Ian',  same 
like  a  passel  o'  pahtridge  when  one  pinter  rout  um, 
an'  you  shoot  two  barrel  one  time  an'  ain't  touch  a 
feddah.  De  sky  cloud  up,  an'  de  big  rain  stan' 
same  like  a  ripe  persimmun  ready  fuh  drop.  De 
squirrel  mek  track  fuh  he  hole,  an'  when  he  git  dere 
he  tu'n  roun'  in  he  hole  an'  he  trow  'e  eye  back, 
same  like  'e  bin  a  watch  one  o'  deze  yer  half-fice 
an'  half-houn'  a-rumblin'  an'  a-rummigin'  roun'  in 
de  hickory  ticket.  All  dem  jay-bud  an'  ting  stop  dem 
singin'  on  account  uv  he  done  scade  mos'  to  det,  an' 
de  owl  shet  he  eye  tight  fuh  de  fuss  time  sence  he 
bawn.  De  ribber  Jawdon  rize  up  an'  bile  wid  a 
grate  freshet,  an'  Babylon  shake  same  like  a  broom- 
grass  fiel'.  Oh,  my  childern,  't  was  turrible,  and  to 
dis  day  Adam  face  stan'  white,  same  like  Mass'  Steve 
Elliott  face.  Oh,  my  sistah,  stan'  up  to  me  like  a 
man  while  I  onrabble  de  ponderashun  o'  dat  fuss 
trial,  whichin  it  eber  sence  mek  de  en'  uv  a  corn  row 
on  a  hot  summah  day  seem  'bout  as  long  to  oonah 
as  spang  fum  Yemmassee  plum  to  Coosehatchee. 
Now,  dis  is  de  Bible  troot  regyahd'n  o'  how  Adam 
face  tu'n  white,  'cord'n'  to  how  'e  specify  in  de  one- 
eye  chapter  o'  de  two-eye  John.  Now,  John  de 
Baptiss  say,  sez  he,  sez  John  :  Adam  bin  a  cullud 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  55 

pussen,  an'  he  dress  up  in  coon-skin,  and  eat  locus' 
an'  wile  honey ;  an'  howsumeber,  de  Lord  ain't  truss 
Adam  nohow,  kaze  he  had  dealin's  wid  um  befo',  an' 
he  know  say  he  bin  dearly  lub  all  dem  watermillyun 
an'  ting  what  a-bin  a-grow  in  de  gyahd  'n ;  so  he  call 
Adam  an'  he  say  to  um,  sez  he  :  '  Boy,  deze  yer  win- 
tah  apple  ain't  fuh  tech  till  nex'  summah,'  an'  atter 
de  Lord  gie  de  awdah  he  leff  Adam,  but  he  leff  Ga 
briel  an'  Nigerdemus,  he  cousin  on  he  murrer  side, 
fuh  watch  um,  kaze  he  hab  one  bad  kar-aktah  fuh 
trickiness  an'  cunnin'ness.  Oh,  my  sistah,  lissen  at 
me  good  an'  yeddi  fuh  youah  self  how  dat  wintah 
apple-tree  come  to  mek  de  fuss  Buckrah  fambly  in 
Scriptcha.  Now,  John  de  Baptiss  say,  sez  he,  sez 
John :  Diss  ez  quick  ez  de  Lord  gone  outen  de  gate 
Gabriel  an'  Nigerdemus  tek  a  stan'  fuh  watch  de 
tree.  Oh,  my  bruddah,  when  Adam  tink  say  he 
kin  trow  duss  in  Nigerdemus'  eye  an'  Gabriel  all 
to  one  time,  he  diss  ez  well  try  fuh  hook  one  o' 
dem  Guinea  fowl  in  de  broad  daylight,  nieder  so, 
fuh  borrow  one  watermillyun  what  ain't  blongst  to 
um.  Kaze  why  ?  kaze,  sez  he :  Nieder  Gabriel, 
nieder  so  Nigerdemus,  sleep  till  he  kech  Adam  bin 
a-chuhkin'  de  wintah  apple  down  wid  a  lite-wood 
knot.  Now,  what  nex',  sez  he  ?  De  nex'  pint  is 
what  I  done  tell  you  fuhm  de  fuss  gwine  off.  Ni- 


56  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

gerdemns  tell  de  Lord  'bout  Adam,  an'  sho'  nuff,  de 
good  Massah  come  back  to  de  tree  an'  he  miss  two 
apple.  He  look  roun'  'pun  top  o'  de  groun',  an'  he 
see  Adam  track  way  he  bin  a-muze  'bout  under- 
neat  de  tree.  Den  de  spirit  o'  de  Lord  git  hex,  an' 
he  call  out :  '  Adam,'  but  Adam  ain't  say  a  god- 
blessed  ting.  Oh,  my  sistah,  Adam  bin  a-lay  down 
wid  he  face  burry  in  de  groun'  in  one  huckleberry 
ticket,  an'  he  scade  so  much  ez  to  kech  he  bret. 
Den  de  Lord  git  mo'  powfull  wid  he  voice,  an'  Adam 
bleege  to  git  up,  an'  he  mek  answer  good  fashion, 
an'  he  say :  '  Yeh,  Lord.'  Den  de  Lord  say : 
'  Adam,  somebawdy  tief  one  wintah  apple.'  Den 
Adam  up  an'  say :  '  Yeh,  Lord,'  an'  he  face  tu'ns 
white  ez  a  fine  white  homespun  sheet  in  one  white 
fahmbly  house.  Den  de  Lord  say  :  '  Adam,  I  miss 
de  apple,  an'  I  know  say  tis  tief  in  dis  gyahd'n.' 
Den  de  spirit  o'  de  debbil  jump  'pon  Adam,  an* 
he  say :  '  Lord,  if  de  apple  is  tief,  as  you  say 
tis  tief,  den  I  tink  say  mus'  be  Eve  tief  um.'  Den 
Nigerdemus  took  an'  cut  into  de  composishun,  an' 
he  pint  wid  de  butt  o'  he  musket  to  Adam  track, 
an'  he  say  :  '  Adam,  dat  's  a  number  nine  shoe,  an* 
you  know  say  Eve  ain't  got  no  sich  a  foot.'  Den 
Adam  see  he  ain't  hab  no  witness,  an'  no  use  fuh 
'tarrogate  Nigerdemus,  so  he  jump  oberde  fence  wid 


A   GOOD  RESOLUTION  KEPT  57 

he  white  face,  an'  hide  in  de  cypress  swamp  till  atter 
dahk,  den  he  dig  dut  f  uh  de  white  people  country ; 
whichin,  as  he  say,  sez  he,  at  de  fuss  commencement, 
all  Adam  chillun  by  he  fuss  wife  is  cullud,  'cepshun 
to  he  secon'  wife,  whichin  all  de  ress  is  Buckrah. 

"  Now,  sistah  Lucy,  raise  de  chune  o'  Pharaoh 
hose." 

"  An'  did  n't  ole  Pharaoh  hose  git  lawss,  git  lawss,  in  dat  Red  Sea  ! 
An'  didn't  ole  Pharaoh  hose  git  lawss,  git  lawss,  in  dat  Red  Sea  — 
In  dat  Red  Sea,  in  dat  Red  Sea;  O,  ho-o-o,  O,  ho.    Sing,  my  sistah," 
etc. 

But  not  one  word  of  this  original  and  character 
istic  recital,  scarcely,  could  fraulein  understand,  for 
Daddy  Mose  spoke  the  Congo-English  dialect  of  his 
race  in  Carolina,  which  was  not  fraulein's  "  Anglish  " 
at  all.  But  when  Mabel  gave  her  version  of  it  as 
they  walked  home,  she  was  immensely  amused  and 
interested. 

"  Ach  !  It  is  that  old  human  nature.  It  is  that 
old  human  nature,"  she  would  say  with  a  chuckle 
of  delight.  "  If  all  goes  well,  good  ;  if  not,  it  is 

God's  fault  always.     And  that  number  nine  shoe ! 

.  .  . 

Ach  !     Had  only  sin  never  come  into  our  beautiful 

world,  we  had  never  been  black  —  and  says  the  good 
Mose,  never  white." 


CHAPTER   VI 

A   FAIR    IN    THE    FAIR    MONTH    OF    MAY 

IT  was  the  custom  of  the  Nortons  to  go  every  year 
to  the  town  of  Smithville,  fifty  miles  distant,  when 
and  where  a  local  society  interested  in  agricultural 
matters  was  wont  to  make  an  exhibit  of  the  result  of 
their  theories  and  practices.  Being  one  of  the  origi 
nators  of  this  society,  Mr.  Norton  was  very  warmly 
interested  in  all  that  concerned  it,  and  his  family  so 
shared  his  enthusiasm  that  they  not  only  generally 
accompanied  him  on  these  occasions,  but  were  al 
ways  competing  for  the  prizes  offered  at  the  show. 
This  year,  for  instance,  Mabel  had  put  in  several  jars 
of  fig  preserves  for  exhibition,  Edward  had  with 
him  a  famous  paif  of  homing  pigeons,  the  best  in 
the  South,  Lucy  had  crocheted  an  afghan  under 
fraulein's  direction,  Frank  had  sent  off  in  Daddy 
Dick's  care  his  beloved  colt ;  even  little  Keith  had 
entered  a  novel  hummingbird  caught  by  him  in  the 
garden.  So  it  was  with  great  alacrity  that  the  family 
started  off  for  Smithville.  Fraulein  was  taken  along, 
partly  to  maintain  order,  but  chiefly  for  the  jaunt. 


A  FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY        59 

"  You  must  come  too  and  see  us  all  take  all  the 
prizes,"  said  Frank,  who  was  of  a  hopeful  turn  of 
mind  —  ("  a  very  clever,  bookish  boy,  but  con 
ceited,"  Mr.  Caruthers  said).  "I've  been  feeding 
'  Frisk '  on  cotton-seed  cake  and  grooming  him  my 
self  and  giving  him  bran  mashes,  and  there  will  not 
be  anything  to  compare  with  him,  I  know,  and  Ed 
ward  is  sure  of  a  first  prize.  Nash  can  make  1767 
yards  a  minute  the  hundred  miles,  and  Phoebe  and 
Lex  are  even  swifter.  Such  beauties  as  they  are, 
snow-white  save  for  tips  of  color,  and  so  intelligent, 
so  really  affectionate .  Phoebe  has  twice  gone  from 
here  to  Baltimore  with  messages  for  the  Dawsons, 
our  great  friends  there,  and  brought  us  back  their 
answers,  and  his  favorite  of  them  all,  Lex,  has  flown 
as  far  as  Staten  Island,  to  the  club-house  there,  and 
beaten  the  record.  Edward  made  fifteen  dollars  last 
season  selling  homing  pigeons,  and  I  daresay  he  '11 
make  twenty  this.  Why  does  Mabel  exhibit  those 
rubbishy  preserves  of  hers  ?  Why  did  n't  she  do  a 
water-color  sketch,  or  something  that  would  be  a 
credit  to  the  family?" 

"Mabel's  sketches  are  bad  —  very  bad.  Her  pre 
serves  are  delicious.  Better  is  good  cooking  than 
bad  art.  When  she  is  a  haus-frau,  her  husband  and 
her  children  will  more  enjoy  nice  dishes  on  the  table 


60  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

than  poor  pictures  on  the  wall.  This  I  tell  you  ;  and 
her  bread  !  It  is  a  poem  !  Your  mother  is  very  wise 
to  teach  her  all  the  usefulnesses  that  she  knows," 
replied  fraulein.  "I  much  believe  in  bakeology, 
und  boilology,  und  roastology,  und  cleanology,  und 
patchology,  und  darnology !  A  woman  more  needs 
that  education  than  any  other.  I  teach  the  biano, 
und  the  language,  und  all  dat,  because  mawthers  will 
have ;  but  when  I  go  home  I  am  again  cook,  house 
maid,  seamstress  —  woman  —  und  I  am  nef er  so 
happy  !  I  have  also  made  for  de  show  a  sweet  nut- 
cake  with  the  Bear  of  Bearne  on  it ;  think  you  that 
I  will  get  a  prize  ?  "  said  fraulein,  smiling  amiably 
at  the  boy. 

"  I  hope  so,  fraulein.  But  you  will  have  all  the 
farmers'  wives  and  daughters  competing  for  it ;  it  is 
ten  dollars  —  so  little,"  replied  Frank. 

"  Think  you  that  a  small  sum  ?  Think  of  all  the 
bread  it  would  buy,  the  fire,  the  clothes,  the  lodging. 
If  you  had  ever  been  poor  in  Europe,  you  would  not 
so  say.  The  Royal  Prince  wid  us  thinks  more  as 
once  before  he  spends  two  gold  pieces.  Here  Anna 
puts  them  into  a  hat  and  cares  not.  But  you  Amer 
icans  trow  de  money  away  wid  bot'  de  hands,  and 
den  often  in  old  age  go  begging.  For  thirty  years 
I  am  every  year  laying  by  money  for  my  lame  sister 


A   FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY        61 

und  so  she  und  I  should  have  not  to  depend  on  od- 
ers ;  so  when  we  get  very  old  und  sit  like  two  old 
cats  by  our  fireside,  it  should  be  our  own  fire  und 
loaf,  und  cloak.  Oh,  it  is  terrible  in  Europe  to*  be 
poor  !  You  cannot  imaginate  it.  But  not  always 
can  you  so  live  here  ;  so  little  work,  so  little  save,  so 
much  spend.  Five  dollars  for  candy  at  one  time, 
und  de  husband  a  clerk  !  Real  lace  und  diamonds 
und  silks  und  feders,  und  de  wife  governess  like 
me,  de  husband  invalid  —  tree  children  —  in  de 
bank,  in  broperty,  noding  !  If  I  should  get  wid 
my  Bearne  cake  ten  dollars,  I  will  be  very  glad ! 
I  will  my  little  money-order  send  home,  ya  !  I  will 
say,  ( Dis  de  doctor  will  pay  in  sickness '  (loved 
Heaven,  keep  it  away,  till  I  have  a  little  more  laid  by 
of  my  yearnings) ;  f  Dis  will  a  little  holiday  make  in 
convalescence  ; '  i  Dis  will  some  good  books  buy  for 
de  long  winter  evening ; '  '  Dis  will  de  light  provide ; ' 
'  Dis  will  de  neighbor  help.'  So  little  !  It  is  much 

—  much,"  said  fraulein,  her  fingers  flying  with  her 
knitting.     "Five  hundred  dollars  have  I  earned  in 
ten  years  wid    dese  needles  in    de   half-hours  und 
hours  what  all  de  Americans  waste  —  de  five  min 
utes  —  de  railroad  journey  —  de  picnic.     Wid  it,  I 
have  bought  my  bit  of  pasture  land  for  de  cow  what 

—  which  shall  be.     Is  not  that  much  more  better  as 


62  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

laziness  ?  Many  things  I  hate,  but  most  of  all  lazi 
ness  uud  lies." 

When  they  got  to  Smithville,  and  put  up  at  the 
hotel,  great  was  the  eagerness  of  the  party  to  see 
the  show  in  general,  and  their  exhibit  in  particu 
lar.  Even  Mrs.  Norton  was  wondering  if  they  had 
given  her  tenth-century  lace  the  place  of  honor  in 
the  needlework  department ;  and  Lucy  and  Frank 
fidgeted  fraulein  into  a  fever,  almost,  before  they 
were  all  ready  to  go  to  the  fair  grounds. 

Arrived  there,  they  found  a  large  and  promiscu 
ous  kind  of  crowd,  huge  placards  saying  that  "  the 
Honorable  Robert  Todd  would  address  the  people 
at  a  barbecue  to  be  held  next  day  at  Silver  Spring ;  " 
other  notices  about  the  prizes  and  committees;  a 
whirligig;  a  balloon  ascension  in  course  of  prepara 
tion  ;  —  all  the  usual  "attractions  "  of  such  meetings. 

The  Nortons  went  at  once  to  the  show-rooms,  all 
except  Mr.  Norton,  who  put  on  a  linen  "  duster " 
and  made  first  for  the  cattle-stalls,  where  he  punched 
ribs,  and  discussed  breeds  and  weights,  ages,  values, 
for  hours,  with  other  equally  enthusiastic  farmers. 
Mabel's  round  cheeks  flushed  crimson  when  she 
found  that  her  fig  preserves  had  got  "  honorable 
mention  ;  "  her  bread,  a  blue  ribbon.  Edward  even 
got  quite  excited,  and  lost  his  usual  calmness,  when 


A  FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY         63 

he  found  that  Lex  had  got  the  gold  medal  of  the 
Southern  Homing  Association.  Lucy  wept  copi 
ously  over  an  unappreciated  Afghan  ;  Frank  sulked 
all  day,  finding  his  colt  "  nowhere,"  his  pains  and 
oil-cake  wasted,  his  hopes  utterly  blighted.  Mrs. 
Norton's  lace  was  not  officially  noticed  at  all.  But 
fraulein's  wonderfully  realistic,  indeed  artistic,  nut 
Bear  of  Bearne  had  been  awarded  ten  dollars,  and 
later  was  eagerly  devoured  by  the  children,  who 
found  him  as  good  to  eat  as  he  was  to  look  at. 

"  I  think  it  is  a  shame  !  My  colt  turned  down, 
and  fraulein's  silly  cake  awarded  a  prize  !  It  is  n't 
fair,  mamma,  at  all.  The  judges  must  be  perfect 
idiots  !  "  grumbled  Frank ;  "  and  anybody  can  make 
fig  preserves.  And  there  's  lots  of  loaves  of  bread 
that  look  as  nice  and  nicer  than  Mabel's.  As  for 
Edward,  he  always  gets  all  the  prizes." 

"  Don't  let  your  disappointment  make  you  envious 
and  unjust,  my  boy.  To  rejoice  heartily  and  unself 
ishly  with  a  winner,  where  one  has  lost  what  one 
coveted,  is  the  best  prize  of  all.  My  clever  boy  will 
win  with  other  exhibits,  at  other  shows,  no  doubt ; 
but  to-day  I  would  have  him  cheerful  and  resigned 
to  the  judges'  decision,  kind  and  sympathetic  to  his 
brother  and  sister;  then  he  may  be  surpassed  in 
colts,  but  not  in  manliness  and  generosity,"  said 


64  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Mrs.  Norton,  putting  her  arm  around  the  lad  affec 
tionately. 

"  But,  mamma,  it  is  so  hard.  I  was  so  sure  I  'd 
win." 

"  So  you  can,  my  boy  ;  I  've  shown  you  how." 

"  But  I  so  wanted  that  prize,  and  I  've  taken  such 
pains ;  but  if  I  go  grinning  and  congratulating, 
I  '11  only  be  a  humbug.  I  can't  help  feeling  bitter 
and  unhappy  about  it  to  save  my  life." 

"  I  know,  dear.  But  there  is  nothing  as  bad  as 
being  bad,  as  bitter  as  being  bitter.  Come,  son,  try 
to  put  it  all  aside  and  be  kind  to  the  others,  and 
you  will  see  how  it  helps  you,"  Mrs.  Norton  insisted. 

"  I  could  bear  anything  better  than  the  Bear  tak 
ing  a  prize  and  my  colt  not  even  noticed,"  burst  out 
Frank  in  a  suppressed  sob,  half  anger,  half  grief. 
"  That  old  burnt  sugar  bear,  instead  of  my  beauti 
ful  Frisk.  It 's  a  perfect  shame  !  I  don't  see  what 
we  want  with  so  many  foreigners  for  anyway,  in 
this  country." 

"  You  've  got  into  a  fret,  son.  Sit  down  here 
until  you  get  quiet ;  read  me  about  the  balloon 
ascension,"  said  tactful  Mrs.  Norton.  They  would 
have  been  a  good  deal  more  interested  in  their  hand 
bill,  had  they  known  that  at  that  moment  Keith 
had  taken  advantage  of  the  intense  absorption  of 


A    FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY         65 

the  family  mind  to  slip  outside,  get  himself  tied 
around  the  waist  and  neck  with  one  of  the  balloon- 
ropes  by  another  boy,  and  was  just  then  sweeping 
past  the  second  story  window,  dangling  from  the 
car.  A  roar  from  the  crowd,  "  Look  at  the  kid  !  " 
"  A  child 's  gone  up  !  "  "  Whose  child  is  that  ?  " 
"  Catch  that  rope  !  "  reached  them. 

Mrs.  Norton  went  to  the  window,  and  there  fell 
down  in  a  faint  on  the  floor,  for  her  mother-eyes 
had  beheld  Keith's  red  plaid  kilt  in  the  distance,  and 
she  knew  what  had  happened.  There  was  a  tre 
mendous  uproar,  of  course.  The  crowd  swayed  over 
the  place  like  so  many  ants,  when  boiling  water 
has  been  poured  over  them.  Everybody  cried  out, 
shrieked,  commanded  at  once,  followed  the  floating 
car,  and  trembled  for  the  child.  But,  fortunately, 
it  was  but  a  preliminary  trial  of  the  balloon,  and  the 
learned  professor  in  charge  managed  to  get  hold 
of  the  right  rope,  and,  with  the  help  of  his  assist 
ant  in  the  car,  soon  deposited  Keith  in  the  next  field 
but  one.  A  general  anxious  rush  towards  him,  a 
general  smiling  return  of  the  people,  told  the  story. 
The  child  was  frightened  to  death,  but  not  hurt 
much,  —  thanks  to  his  good  angel.  But  he  was  ex 
amined,  scolded,  caressed,  tipped  (whipped  eventu 
ally),  embraced,  in  such  rapid  succession  by  onlook- 


66  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

ers  and  his  family  that  it  is  no  wonder  he  looked 
perfectly  bewildered  during  the  remainder  of  their 
stay  in  Smithville.  Mrs.  Norton  had  hysterics  over 
the  affair,  and  was  made  so  ill  by  it  that  Mr.  Norton 
had  not  the  heart  to  say  more  than,  "  I  thought 
Keith  was  to  be  left  at  home  in  future  ?  " 

"  As  he  will ;  I  never  shall  let  him  out  of  my 
sight  again,  or  bring  him  away  from  the  plantation. 
I  left  him  with  fraulein,  who  gave  him  to  Mabel, 
who  forgot  all  about  him  in  her  excitement  over  the 
bread  prize.  That  child  is  always  in  mischief.  He 
climbed  up  the  legs  of  Mr.  Carlton's  savage  bull 
by  the  tail,  and  perched  on  his  back,  just  before  you 
came,  fraulein ;  a  bull  that  all  the  men  dreaded  to 
handle  except  with  a  pitchfork.  I  never  would  have 
brought  him,  but  he  cried  so  about  it  when  he  heard 
of  the  balloon  ascension  from  Candy  Doll  that  I 
weakly  yielded.  Oh,  dear,  that  child  will  be  the 
death  of  me  yet,"  said  Mrs.  Norton.  "  Come  here, 
my  darling." 

Mr.  Norton  now  insisted  that  they  should  all  re 
turn  to  the  hotel,  but  himself  stayed  to  superintend 
a  flower-show  in  which  he  was  interested. 

The  next  day  was  devoted  to  the  barbecue.  It 
was  held  in  some  dense  woods,  near  Silver  Spring, 
and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  the  thousands  of  smiling 


A  FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY        67 

people  who  trooped  past  them  in  holiday  attire,  to 
disappear  among  the  magnificent  groves  of  live  oak 
near  the  spring. 

They  found  hundreds  of  baskets  and  hampers 
of  every  kind  placed  near  the  rough  board  tables 
improvised  for  the  occasion,  and  placing  their  own 
there,  the  Nortons  hurried  off  like  their  neighbors 
to  hear  Colonel  Todd's  speech.  It  was  a  very  long 
one,  a  very  eloquent  one ;  it  was  listened  to  with 
great  respect  and  pleasure  by  the  immense  crowd. 
A  Southern  crowd  likes  nothing  better  than  "  a 
speakin',"  catches  readily  every  premise  the  speaker 
makes,  responds  to  every  note  touched,  appreciates 
every  point  made,  having  been  used  for  generations 
to  good  speeches.  Mr.  Norton  got  seats  for  the 
party,  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  eloquence  of  his 
friend,  Colonel  Todd.  Fraulein  understood  little  of 
what  was  going  on,  and  caring  less  for  the  political 
issues,  walked  back  to  the  grove  and  amused  the 
children  who  were  swinging  there,  playing  games, 
and  filching  from  the  baskets.  Mrs.  Norton,  fan  in 
hand,  sat  out  the  whole  thing,  in  spite  of  the  heat, 
to  please  Mr.  Norton.  The  younger  children  went 
off  with  Mr.  Caruthers,  much  to  Mabel's  envy. 
Edward  folded  his  arms  and  gave  himself  up  to 
what  a  gentleman  near  him  called  "  the  colonel's 
magnificent  effort." 


68  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Mrs.  Norton  found  Daddy  Dick  near  her,  as,  in 
common  with  her  husband  and  the  crowd,  she  made 
her  way  back  to  the  grove. 

"  Well,  Daddy  Dick,  what  did  you  think  of  that 
speech  ?  " 

"  He  mek  a  fine  speech,  ma'am..  He  mek  a  gran' 
speech.  You  could  a-heerd  him  bellowin'-  for  a 
mile.  An'  listen  how  you  might,  with  all  your  ears, 
you  couldn't  onderstan'  Aim,"  replied  he,  with  great 
unction  and  earnestness.  Like  some  other  people, 
Daddy  Dick  was  much  impressed  by  what  he  did 
not  understand. 

Presently  Frank,  and  Lucy,  and  Keith,  and  Mabel 
were  looking  with  intense  interest  upon  the  prepa 
rations  that  were  now  made  to  feed  the  multitude. 
Long  trenches  were  dug,  and  fires  were  built  in 
them.  Carts  drove  up,  and  from  them  were  taken 
whole  beeves  already  dressed,  pigs,  turkeys,  chick 
ens,  lambs.  These  were  dressed,  stuffed,  put  on 
poles  of  varying  size  and  length,  and  suspended 
above  the  trenches  to  cook. 

"  Oh,  is  n't  this  fun ! "  cried  Frank  presently, 
highly  delighted. 

"Don't  they  smell  delicious!  I  am  so  hungry," 
agreed  Mabel.  "  Where  is  Keith  ?  He  will  fall  in 
the  fire  next !  " 


"A    BANQUET   FOR   THE   GODS" 


A  FAIR  IN  THE  FAIR  MONTH  OF  MAY         69 

"  I  've  got  him,  Miss  Mabel.  Give  yourself  no 
further  anxiety  about  him.  I  am  under  bonds  to 
deliver  him  safely  at  Neosha  to-morrow,  object  and 
sulk  and  squirm  as  he  will,"  said  Mr.  Caruthers. 

"  They  are  going  to  turn  them  over :  look  out !  " 
cried  Frank.  The  hot  grease  spluttered  high,  and 
the  flames  leaped  higher,  as  two  negro  men,  not 
without  some  difficulty,  seized  the  poles  and  reversed 
a  huge  animal  already  beginning  to  brown  most 
temptingly.  It  was  a  fascinating  sight  to  the  chil 
dren  and  to  many  others,  and  they  did  not  leave 
the  spot  till  the  smoking  victims  were  heaped  on 
wooden  trenchers  and  carried  off  to  the  tables,  under 
the  dense,  grateful  shade  of  the  oaks.  A  scene  of 
cheerful,  enjoyable  confusion  followed,  as  the  thou 
sands  of  people  present  unpacked  the  "  goodies  " 
they  had  brought,  and  a  fine  show  the  aggregate 
made.  " '  A  banquet  for  the  gods,'  it  would  have 
been  thought  in  old  Greece,"  said  Mr.  Caruthers  to 
Mabel.  "  Now  remember,  please,  that  you  are  to 
eat  something,  and  rest,  —  that  I  am  to  take  your 
place  and  wait  on  the  children." 

The  orator  of  the  day  took  his  place  at  the  head 
of  the  central  and  longest  table.  A  Methodist 
minister  said  grace.  The  crowd  behaved  with  great 
reverence.  The  fray  began.  There  were  no  seats, 
of  course.  Everybody  stood  around  the  table,  and 


70  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

taking  what  he  or  she  wanted,  enjoyed  to  the  utmost 
the  delicious  things  provided.  Everybody  waited 
on  his  or  her  neighbor.  The  utmost  good  humor 
prevailed ;  there  was  no  horse-play,  elbowing,  snatch 
ing,  misbehaving.  A  Southern  crowd  dislikes  all 
rowdyism  on  such  occasions,  is  very  law-abiding,  and 
gentle  and  courteous.  Fraulein  was  much  struck 
by  this. 

"  I  tought  dere  would  be  quarrels,  und  killings, 
but  I  nefer  saw  people  more  amiable  und  complais 
ant." 

She  ate  enormously,  and  oozed  good  nature,  her 
self,  from  every  pore.  She  waltzed  with  Lucy  and 
Mabel  in  huge,  swelling  circles  and  bounds  on  the 
platform  where  the  young  people  were  dancing,  as 
all  Americans  dance  —  beautifully  ;  and  enjoyed 
the  day  hugely. 

"  The  fete  Americaine  is  varry  nice  —  varry  — 
but  for  de  sandflies  und  de  fleas  und  de  mosquitoes, 
und  de  flies  what  crawls  over  me  in  all  parts  dis 
minute.  Pouf  !  But  what  a  wicked  waste  of  food ! 
What  was  left  would  have  fed  half  Switzerland  for 
a  week,"  she  said,  as  they  left  the  noble  group  of 
trees,  which  had  given  shade  and  shelter  to  thou 
sands  of  the  moist  but  merry  folk,  now  wending 
their  way  homeward,  well  content  with  the  day's 
fatigues  and  pleasures. 


CHAPTER  VII 

"  A    COUNTRY    FOOTING  " 

"  HAVE  you  ever  been  to  a  cake-walk,  fraulein  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Norton  on  the  Monday  following  the  bar 
becue.  "  Would  you  like  to  go  to  one  ?  " 

"  What  is  dat,  madame  ?  What  a  gountry  dis, 
where  de  child  is  Candy  Doll,  and  de  cake  walks ! 
You  are  varry  kind  about  it,  I  see,  dough  —  tanks." 

"  A  cake-walk  is  a  local  institution,  an  amusement 
much  in  favor  with  the  colored  people,  who,  with  a 
cake  for  a  prize,  seek  to  carry  it  off  by  superiority 
in  walking  and  dancing.  They  are  to  have  one  to 
morrow  night  for  the  benefit  of  the  Baptist  Church 
just  on  the  edge  of  the  plantation,  and  we  must  all 
go  and  swell  the  receipts  as  much  as  possible.  Mau- 
mer  Oney  expects  it  of  us,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton. 

"  Big  Maria  is  going  to  walk,"  said  Mabel,  "  with 
Sam  for  a  partner." 

"  Little  Maria  is  going  to  walk,  too,  with  Ned," 
said  Frank.  "  They  've  been  practicing  for  weeks. 
I  've  seen  them  at  it  down  at  the  quarters  again  and 


72  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

again.  Here,  Lucy,  get  me  a  stick  and  a  hat.  I 
will  show  you  how  Ned  walks.  I  can  do  most  of 
the  steps  just  as  well  as  he  does." 

"  Candy  Doll  says  she  is  going  to  walk,  too,  with 
Youpam,"  put  in  Lucy,  while  she  ran  off  to  get 
the  stick  and  hat.  "I  can  walk,  too,  Frank.  You 
need  n't  think  that  you  are  the  only  one.  Candy 
Doll's  steps  are  just  lovely." 

"  Epam,  you  should  say,  Lucy,"  remarked  Ed 
ward,  —  "  Epam,  not  Youpam." 

"  Well,  his  mother  calls  him  — '  You-pam  ?  You 
pam  ? '  when  he  is  out  of  the  way,  and  she  ought 
to  know.'* 

"  Maybe  his  name  is  Pam,"  suggested  Keith,  who 
was  playing  on  the  floor. 

"  Epaminondas,"  corrected  Edward  firmly. 

Lucy  was  now  back,  and  with  Frank  began  to 
show  fraulein  the  steps  they  had  learned  from  the 
servants  at  the  quarters.  But  they  were  only  ridi 
culed  by  Edward. 

"  You  don't  know  how  to  do  it !  Just  wait,  frau 
lein,  until  you  get  over  to  the  church,  and  then  you 
will  see  walking  !  There  will  be  fifty  couples,  and 
the  cake  weighs  twenty  pounds.  Colonel  Carlton's 
cook  made  it,  and  it  is  a  regular  Christmas  out-and- 
outer,  I  tell  you." 


A   COUNTRY  FOOTING  73 

"  But  whyfore  hold  you  de  walk-cake  in  de 
church  ?  "  asked  fraulein,  justly  scandalized. 

"  Oh,  they  don't  mind  that,"  said  Mabel.  "  They 
mean  no  irreverence  whatever." 

The  next  night  was  fine,  cool,  moonlit,  and  the 
Nortons  enjoyed  their  walk  after  supper  over  to 
the  little  frame  building  that  did  duty  for  a  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  Norton  had  been  persuaded  by  his  wife 
to  accompany  them,  and  led  the  way  with  fraulein. 
Edward,  with  an  air  of  much  dignity  and  importance, 
escorted  his  mother.  Frank  and  Lucy  followed, 
chattering  constantly.  Waggles,  bringing  up  the 
rear,  was  heard  snuffing  and  barking  violently  as 
they  skirted  a  rice-field,  when  about  halfway.  Pre 
sently  they  heard  a  howl,  —  a  most  piteous  and  pro 
longed  howl.  The  ladies  stopped  short  in  the  path. 
Mr.  Norton  and  the  boys  hurried  back,  and  there, 
on  the  edge  of  a  borrow-pit,  they  found  poor  Wag 
gles,  with  only  a  stump  of  a  tail  left !  A  sudden 
plunge  on  the  part  of  some  black  object  back  into 
the  water  told  its  own  tale,  and  while  Mr.  Norton 
was  peering  at  it,  a  very  horny,  scaly  alligator  swam 
out  into  the  moonlight,  and  dived  out  of  sight. 

"  Why,  Wag  !  Wag  !  Good  fellow  !  Come  here  ! 
Let  us  see  !  "  said  Mr.  Norton,  and  the  boys  broke 
into  cries  of  grief  and  distress  over  the  accident  to 


74  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

their  beloved  playmate.  Edward  was  sent  on  with 
the  ladies.  Mr.  Norton  and  Frank  carried  Waggles 
tenderly  back  to  the  house,  and  skillfully  bandaging 
a  bloody  stump,  left  him  on  the  foot  of  Mrs.  Norton's 
sofa,  in  Maumer  Oney's  charge,  whimpering  still, 
over  the  result  of  a  bit  of  innocent  curiosity  about 
borrow-pits,  grateful  for  the  kindness  shown  him. 

By  the  time  they  rejoined  the  other  members  of 
the  party,  the  cake-walk  was  in  full  progress,  and 
the  elderly  respectable  colored  men  showed  them 
to  their  seats,  —  the  benches  of  the  side  aisles  serv 
ing  for  this  purpose,  the  central  ones  having  been 
removed  to  make  room  for  the  walk.  By  the  light 
which  the  kerosene  lamps  with  tin  reflectors  ranged 
around  the  church  gave,  they  could  see  a  motley 
array  of  "  the  hands  "  clad  in  their  Sunday  best, 
and  of  their  women-kind  resplendent  in  blue,  red, 
purple,  pink,  yellow  dresses,  and  gorgeous  hats,  — 
regular  flower  gardens.  But  even  these  were  out 
done  by  the  walkers.  There  were  fifty  couples,  in 
all,  dressed  as  fantastically  as  possible ;  all  herded 
together  at  the  end  of  the  room.  The  children 
wriggled  on  their  seats  and  exclaimed  :  "  There  is 
Big  Maria  !  Look  at  her  wreath  of  pink  roses." 

"  Ach  !  but  that  low-necked  white  muslin  frock 
of  hers  makes  an  alto-relievo  !  Und  the  yellow 


A   COUNTRY  FOOTING  75 

stockings  !  Und  the  green  sash  !  Boor  children  ! 
Boor  children  !  "  said  fraulein. 

"  There  's  Little  Maria,  Mabel !  The  one  in  the 
red  silk  and  the  purple  hat.  And  is  n't  Ned  a 
swell !  His  collar  almost  cuts  off  his  ears.  But 
he  can  dance  with  the  best,"  said  Frank  to  Mabel. 

"  And  if  there  is  n't  Candy  Doll !  Look,  Frank, 
over  there  with  Youpam  !  "  whispered  Lucy  to  Frank. 
There  she  was,  sure  enough,  and  grinned  a  delighted 
recognition  as  she  caught  Lucy's  attention. 

"  Well,  her  skin  is  all  right  to-night,  that 's  cer 
tain,"  said  Edward. 

"  Oh,  mamma  !  just  look  at  Candy  Doll.  She  is 
all  over  powder,"  said  Mabel. 

"  She  must  have  stuck  her  head  in  the  flour  barrel 
just  before  she  left  home,"  said  Frank. 

"  And  she  has  stained  her  cheeks  with  poke- 
berries.  They  all  have,  mamma,"  said  Mabel. 

"  And  is  n't  her  yellow  frock  pretty  ?  I  gave 
her  the  lace  for  it,  off  my  doll's  dress.  And  is  n't 
her  wreath  of  chicken  feathers  beautiful  ?  I  helped 
her  make  it.  And  I  gave  her  that  red  necklace 
and  her  shoes ;  and  I  think  she  looks  too  nice  for 
anything,"  remarked  Lucy,  contemplating  with  great 
satisfaction  the  results  of  her  benevolent  contribu 
tions  to  Candy  Doll's  toilette. 


76  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

Other  couples  had  been  giving  an  exhibition  of 
their  powers,  muscles,  fancies,  feats,  in  walking  and 
dancing  during  Mr.  Norton's  absence.  Big  Maria 
and  Sam  now  turned  themselves  loose.  Sam  was 
the  high  jumper  of  the  neighborhood.  Big  Maria 
excelled  in  lurching.  Over  she  would  go  to  the 
right  or  to  the  left,  front  or  back,  yet  never  lost 
her  balance.  The  pair  were  famous  for  their  com 
bined  lurches,  bounds,  leaps,  pigeon-wings;  and 
such  sidlings,  such  mincings,  such  whirls,  such  wrig 
gling,  such  shuffling,  as  no  one  could  have  imagined 
who  had  not  seen  them.  Loud  applause  followed 
their  earnest  and  ambitious  efforts,  and  with  a  shake 
of  her  body  Big  Maria  straightened  her  pink  wreath, 
and  smilingly  retired  on  her  laurels,  leaning  proudly 
on  Sam's  arm.  Little  Maria's  turn  now  came,  and 
with  ineffable  solemnity  she  took  Ned's  hand  (a  tall 
negro,  clad  all  in  funereal  black)  and  began  to  show 
what  she  could  do.  Without  having  Big  Maria's 
smiles,  vivacity,  agility,  she  yet  contrived  in  her  own 
slow,  graceful  fashion  to  win  a  great  deal  of  admira 
tion,  while  Big  Maria  looked  on  gloomily  enough. 
There  was  no  love  lost  between  the  two  women  ever, 
and  as  Little  Maria  dismally  retired  from  the  centre 
of  the  hall,  she  shot  a  glance  of  triumph  at  her  rival. 
A  grand  circle  of  dancers  was  now  formed,  and  the 


A   COUNTRY  FOOTING  11 

fifty  couples  were  a  sight  to  see,  as  they  sped  around 
the  church.  The  band,  established  near  the  door, 
and  consisting  of  five  skillful  players,  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  thing  entirely.  Occasionally  they 
would  quicken  the  time  ;  occasionally  decrease  it ; 
sometimes  alter  the  time ;  sometimes  stop  outright, 
and  thereby  encourage,  display  to  advantage,  or  con 
fuse  the  walkers.  And  once  when  they  stopped, 
Youpam  fell  on  his  knees,  deposited  his  hat  on  the 
floor,  and  Candy  Doll  whirled,  picked  it  up  with 
the  tips  of  her  toes,  kept  it  in  the  air  fully  five 
minutes  as  she  did  various  steps  with  the  utmost 
cleverness,  and  sent  it  with  a  fling  finally  right 
on  top  of  Youpam's  head.  Lucy  fairly  shrieked 
with  delight.  The  church  bell  at  the  door  clanged 
out,  —  the  deacons  on  the  platform  deliberated,  dis 
agreed.  Another  general  competition  followed,  and 
the  deacons  had  fully  decided  to  give  the  cake  to 
Little  Maria,  and  were  about  to  declare  themselves, 
when  an  unwelcome  interruption  prevented. 

In  this  last  round  Candy  Doll  (who  was  imme 
diately  behind  Big  Maria)  took  it  into  her  wicked 
little  head  to  imitate  her  predecessor.  This  she 
did  with  such  success  that  a  general  roar  of  laughter 
and  applause  followed.  This  being  misunderstood 
by  Big  Maria  (who  fancied  that  she  was  exciting 


78  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

a  tempest  of  admiration),  she  redoubled  her  efforts, 
and  being  as  awkward  as  she  was  active,  gave  Candy 
Doll  another  opportunity.  Undeceived  at  last  by 
the  jeers  of  the  audience,  Big  Maria  stopped,  turned 
around,  caught  Candy  Doll  in  the  very  act,  seized 
her  violently,  shook  her  fiercely.  Now  Little  Maria 
was  just  behind  Candy  Doll,  as  it  chanced,  and  she 
advanced  to  the  rescue,  actually  smiling  for  once. 
Cries  of  "  You  yeller  hussy  !  "  "  You  black  nig 
ger  !  "  "  Ef  you  come  tribulatin'  me "  —  "I 
ain't  'tarrogatin'  you  !  "  "  Shet  up  !  "  "  Quit !  " 
"  Git  out !  "  "  Take  that  1  "  "I  '11  mek  you 
laugh  ! "  "  Ef  you  tech  me,  I  ain't  sayin'  what 
I  '11  do  to  you  !  "  "  You  think  you  can  dance, 
don't  you  ?  "  "  Oh,  Lawsy  !  "  went  up.  The  three 
couples  were  immediately  involved  in  a  general  row, 
in  which  "  the  fur  flew,"  as  Edward  put  it.  Candy 
Doll  swung  on  to  Big  Maria's  skirts,  tore  out  her 
gathers,  snatched  off  her  wreath,  kicked  vigorously 
at  her  shins,  and  emerged  from  the  encounter,  thanks 
to  Little  Maria,  Sam,  and  Youpam,  victorious,  but 
a  total  wreck  as  to  her  costume.  Mr.  Norton  was 
scandalized,  and  marching  up  to  the  group  soon  put 
a  stop  to  what  he  called  "this  disgraceful  brawling," 
so  far  as  his  servants  were  concerned,  by  ordering 
them  all  home.  When  order  was  restored,  the  cake 


A   COUNTRY  FOOTING  79 

was  awarded  to  Little  Maria,  whereupon  Big  Maria 
burst  into  a  storm  of  sobs  and  rushed  out  of  the 
building,  the  deacons  turned  out  the  lights,  the 
white  family  left  ten  dollars  with  Daddy  Dick  as 
they  passed  him  on  the  steps,  for  what  he  called 
"  de  restorifications  of  de  church,"  and  the  cake- 
walk  was  over. 

When  they  got  home  Mrs.  Norton  saw  a  letter 
lying  on  the  hall  table.  The  boat  was  in,  and 
numerous  packages  had  come  by  it,  but  only  this 
one  letter. 

"  From  Catharine,"  said  Mr.  Norton,  as  his  wife 
pounced  on  it  and  sat  down  to  read  it  at  once. 

"  She  is  quite  well,  and,  see  here,  dear,  what 
do  you  think  dear  Catharine  wishes  ?  She  says  we 
must  all  come  over  by  the  first  steamer,  and  spend 
three  months  with  her  before  she  goes  to  India.  Oh, 
I  should  so  like  it !  I  quite  long  to  go  home  after 
spending  five  years  here.  Don't  you  think  we  could 
manage  it  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Norton. 

"  Oh,  do,  papa  !  " 

"  Please  do  !  " 

"  It  would  be  so  delightful,  papa." 

"  It  is  getting  so  hot  and  unhealthy  here !  We 
shall  have  to  go  somewhere,  you  know,  papa." 

"  Oh,  please  do  !  "  cried  all  the  children  in  turn. 


80  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  Well,  so  be  it.  There  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  not  go  if  you  wish  it.  But  I  must  stay  here 
and  look  after  the  crop,"  said  Mr.  Norton. 

"  Then  I  will  stay,  too,"  said  Mrs.  Norton. 

"  Oh,  papa,  how  disappointing  !  "  cried  Mabel. 
"  You  know  you  have  promised  to  show  us  the  great 
cathedrals,  and  the  village  where  you  were  born, 
and  lots  of  things.  Why  can't  we  put  somebody 
in  charge?  " 

"  Well,  perhaps  we  can.  Now  no  more  of  this. 
It  is  late.  We  must  all  be  off  to  bed  !  "  concluded 
Mr.  Norton. 

But  there  was  a  general  outburst  of  thanks,  many 
kisses,  cries  of  enthusiastic  delight  from  the  entire 
family. 

"  I  shall  go  to  my  sister,  and  join  you  in  Liver 
pool  for  the  return,"  said  fraulein. 

"  I  shall  go  for  a  walking-tour  over  Devon  with 
papa,"  said  Mabel. 

"  I  shall  live  at  the  British  Museum,  and  learn  all 
about  English  history  and  homing  pigeons,"  said 
Edward. 

"  I  shall  take  my  heavy  dresses  home  to  be  re 
modeled,  if  the  moths  have  left  me  any,"  said  Mrs. 
Norton. 

"  I  shall  take  Aunt  Catharine  a  jug  of  Georgia 


A   COUNTRY  FOOTING  81 

syrup  and  some  sugar-cane  for  her  children/'  said 
Frank. 

"  I  shall  take  my  crayons  and  have  some  lessons 
in  London,"  said  Mabel. 

"  I  shall  take  the  Queen  one  of  my  humming 
birds,"  said  Keith  ;  "  I  know  she  '11  be  pleased." 

"  I  shall  take  —  oh,  mamma,  can't  I  take  Wag 
gles  and  Candy  Doll  ?  "  cried  Lucy.  "  They  would 
both  be  so  —  so  appreciated  in  England." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  To 
bed  !  To  bed  !  "  cried  Mr.  Norton,  smiling  down 
upon  them,  already  halfway  upstairs,  candle  in 
hand. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    FAMILY    GO    ABROAD 

NEXT  day  it  was  definitely  decided  that  the  Nor- 
tons  (Mr.  Norton  excepted)  should  go  to  England 
for  a  visit  to  their  sweet  Aunt  Catharine,  at  Bath, 
and  forthwith  the  most  energetic  measures  were 
taken  looking  to  that  end.  Such  an  array  of  trunks, 
bags,  and  portmanteaus  were  brought  down  from 
the  garret  that  Mr.  Caruthers  declared  it  looked  as 
if  they  were  about  to  move  an  army.  All  day  long 
one  could  hear  bureau  drawers  pulled  out,  closet 
doors  closed,  trunks  dragged  about.  The  personal 
effects  of  a  whole  family  disposed  in  orderly  fashion 
in  wardrobes  and  bureaus  are  almost  lost  to  sight ; 
but  heaped  on  beds,  floors,  chairs,  seem  appalling. 

"  Why,  you  look  as  if  a  stray  bombshell  had  ex 
ploded  in  here,  Mrs.  Norton.  It  is  as  great  a  piece 
of  business  to  move  four  or  five  ladies  and  a  family 
of  children,  as  to  get  a  regiment  of  men  in  marching 
order  or  a  ship  under  weigh.  I  'd  offer  to  help  you 
pack,  but  the  fact  is  that  I  am  rather  in  disgrace  in 


THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD  83 

that  way.  The  last  time  my  mother  went  to  the 
Springs  with  me,  I  packed  her  best  muslin  dress 
in  the  bottom  of  a  trunk,  and  put  my  boots  and 
gun-case  on  top,  and  my  clothes  generally,  and  then 
got  in  and  walked  up  and  down  till  it  shut ;  and  I 
believe  the  result  was  not  thought  satisfactory  for 
the  dress,"  said  Mr.  Caruthers,  as  he  looked  in  at 
the  door  of  Mrs.  Norton's  room. 

"  I  '11  not  trouble  you,  after  that,"  replied  Mrs. 
Norton.  "  But  do  keep  an  eye  on  Keith,  Mr.  Ca 
ruthers  —  everybody." 

Everybody,  including  Mr.  Caruthers,  did  try  to 
do  that  very  thing.  But  they  were  all  so  busy 
packing,  and  the  household  was  in  such  a  state  of 
confusion,  that  Keith  was  more  than  a  match  for 
them  all.  He  found  and  made  opportunities  all 
that  week  for  playing  truant  and  being  naughty. 
On  Monday,  he  fell  into  the  new  flower-pit,  dug  for 
the  geraniums,  and  cut  his  lip  badly  on  some  broken 
glass  at  the  bottom  of  it,  besides  bruising  his  leg 
severely.  On  Tuesday,  he  climbed  up  to  the  edge 
of  the  cistern,  and  tumbled  headlong  into  it,  with 
a  tremendous  splash  and  loud  cries  of  distress  and 
astonishment  that  brought  fraulein  to  the  rescue. 
On  Wednesday,  while  investigating  the  cockleburs 
in  Linkum's  tail,  he  got  a  mild  kick  in  his  side 


84  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

from  a  long-suffering  old  friend.  On  Thursday 
(the  Fourth  of  July),  he  began  the  day  gleefully  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  with  thirty-seven  packs 
of  fire-crackers.  He  let  oil  the  first  pack  on  the 
kitchen  stove,  under  Maumer  Oney's  very  nose,  and 
was  routed  by  her  with  the  dish-rag,  and  expelled 
from  her  premises.  At  one,  as  the  family  were  as 
sembled  for  luncheon,  Mabel,  looking  out,  beheld 
Keith  seated  on  a  candle-box. 

"  What  is  that  child  doing  now  ?  Can't  some 
body  put  him  under  lock  and  key  until  we  are  ready 
to  start  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Norton  ;  and  as  his  eyes  fol 
lowed  Mabel's,  Keith  completed  the  siege-train  he 
had  been  carefully  laying  out  between  his  legs,  and 
touching  it  off,  set  fire  to  all  the  packs  under  the 
candle-box,  and  blew  himself  up  in  air,  fully  two 
feet,  to  his  own  great  delight  and  Mrs.  Norton's 
horror.  His  last  pack  was  fastened  to  the  back  of 
Maumer  Oney's  head-handkerchief  late  that  even 
ing,  as  she  sat  innocently  eating  her  supper  on  the  ' 
kitchen  porch,  and  being  exploded  frightened  her 
out  of  her  seven  senses  almost.  She  seized  upon 
Keith,  caught  him  up  in  her  arms,  and  bore  him  off 
struggling  to  her  mistress. 

"  Dis  chile  goin'  to  end  on  de  gallows,  ma'am. 
He  get  he  neck  stretched  sure,  'less  you  stomp  on 


THEY   WERE   ALL   SO   BUSY  PACKING 


THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD  85 

him  hard;  now  he  young,  an'  bre'k  he  spirit,"  she 
exclaimed,  the  ends  of  her  head-handkerchief  quiver 
ing  in  her  wrath,  her  face  convulsed  with  anger  ; 
and  on  hearing  his  offense,  Mrs.  Norton  promptly 
prepared  to  switch  him  and  put  him  to  bed. 

"  Are  you  going  to  do  it  with  your  slipper,  or  with 
the  brush,  mamma  ?  "  asked  Keith  in  a  sweet,  imper 
sonal,  unoffended  fashion,  that  almost  got  him  off. 
But  Mr.  Norton  came  in,  and  it  was  neither.  Keith 
sobbed  himself  to  sleep  most  piteously,  only  to  get 
up  next  morning  betimes,  shave  exactly  one  half  of 
Youpam's  head  with  his  father's  best  razor  in  the 
wash-house,  and  bring  his  woeful  little  victim  up  to 
the  house  to  show  him  to  Lucy.  He  had  taken  off 
occasional  patches  of  skin  in  so  doing,  and  had  com 
pletely  changed  Youpam's  mind,  at  first  most  favor 
ably  impressed  with  the  idea.  Mr.  Caruthers  burst 
into  a  roar  of  laughter  when  he  came  upon  the  two 
boys  in  the  hall.  Nobody  could  look  at  Youpam 
and  not  laugh.  But  Candy  Doll  wept  piteously, 
howled,  yowled  fairly,  refusing  all  compensation  and 
comfort  for  herself  and  her  brother. 

Mr.  Norton  gave  Youpam  fifty  cents,  which  put 
him  in  a  broad  grin  in  about  five  minutes.  Lucy 
pressed  on  him  a  slice  of  pound  cake ;  Edward  be 
stowed  on  him  a  knife.  Mrs.  Norton  dressed  his 


86  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

head  herself.  But  Candy  Doll  was  inconsolable. 
Keith  was  put  to  bed  for  two  days,  and  as  he  passed 
her  he  called  out :  — 

"  I  think  he  looks  nice  like  that,  Candy  Doll, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  De  white  folks  is  laughin'  at  you  !  De  buckrah 
is  mek  you  a  sick  coon  !  You  can'  never  tek  steps 
no  more  at  de  cake-walk  wid  me  !  I  don'  scarcely 
know  you  for  my  brudder  any  more  !  Give  'em 
back  dat  money,  dat  knife,  dat  cake,  an'  come  along 
home  wid  me,"  she  cried,  and  tried  to  drag  Youpam 
off  the  veranda  by  main  force.  But  fifty  cents  was 
fifty  cart  wheels  of  bliss  for  Youpam.  The  knife 
had  two  blades.  The  cake  was  melting  in  his  mouth 
actually. 

"  Go  'long,  gal,  /  'se  flattersied.  Dis  here  ain't 
your  nubbin  o'  corn.  Shet  up,  and  go  'long  wid 
your  hollerin'  and  bawlin'  !  "  replied  Youpam  scorn 
fully,  pulling  away  from  her  most  decidedly.  And 
in  the  course  of  the  day  he  made  overtures  to  Keith 
(shut  up  in  the  nursery  and  very  disconsolate) 
through  Big  Maria. 

"  Marse  Keith  kin  shave  off  de  udder  side  of  my 
head,  tell  him,  ef  he  '11  give  me  he  fire-balloon,  and 
crack  all  my  j'ints,  and  stomp  on  my  feet,  and  fight 
me  every  day  for  a  week  !  I  ain't  mind  what  he  do 


THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD  87 

to  me.  I  ain't  no  gal  like  dat  Candy  Doll,  wid  her 
foolishness  for  mek  a  fuss  'bout  nuthin'  !  "  was  what 
he  generously  proposed.  But  for  the  remainder  of 
the  time  that  the  family  stayed  at  Neosha,  Keith 
was  in  disgrace  and  under  guard,  and  Youpam  con 
tinued  to  excite  shouts  of  derisive  laughter  when 
ever  and  wherever  he  appeared.  His  naked,  splay 
feet,  the  big  patch  on  the  seat  of  his  blue  jeans 
trousers,  his  enormous  palmetto  hat  frayed  into  a 
fringe  that  half  concealed  his  features,  held  Keith's 
interest  to  the  last  more  than  anything  else,  on  the 
day  the  family  took  the  local  boat  for  Savannah, 
while  Lucy  had  eyes  only  for  Candy  Doll,  and  Mabel 
waved  her  handkerchief  at  Mr.  Caruthers. 

Mrs.  Norton  sighed  with  relief,  as  she  contem 
plated  her  flock,  seated  on  the  deck. 

"  All  here,  and  all  ready  at  last,"  she  said  plain 
tively.  "And  Keith  tied  to  the  mast  until  we  get 
under  weigh." 

They  did  not  get  off  for  an  hour  after  Mr.  Caruth 
ers  had  said  good-by  and  gone  ashore ;  after  Mr. 
Norton  had  counted  the  trunks,  parcels,  bags,  port 
manteaus,  made  a  list  of  them,  and  given  it  to  his 
wife  ;  after  everything  had  been  done,  seen  to,  looked 
after.  At  the  last  moment  Candy  Doll  slipped  on 
board  with  an  acorn  necklace  and  a  pair  of  bracelets 


88  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

she  had  made  for  Lucy,  followed  by  Youpam  with  a 
bag  of  popcorn  for  Keith. 

"Mamma,  don't  you  think  the  English  will  be 
very  disappointed  not  to  see  Candy  Doll  ? "  asked 
Lucy,  as  she  slipped  on  her  new  ornaments. 

"  I  am  afraid  not,  dear.  Candy  Doll  is  best  here 
at  home,  on  the  plantation.  But  you  may  bring  her 
back  a  nice  present ;  anything  you  like.  You  shall 
help  me  choose  all  the  presents  for  the  household  in 
London  before  we  come  back,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton. 

Now  came  Mr.  Norton  to  take  leave  of  them  all, 
which  he  did  about  six  times.  They  all  rushed  to 
the  side  of  the  ship  to  see  Mr.  Norton,  Mr.  Caruth- 
ers,  the  servants,  little  and  big,  once  more.  The 
engines  throbbed,  the  gang-plank  was  hauled  in,  the 
Doretta  backed,  turned,  and  they  were  off  up  the 
river. 

"  Off  at  last.  Dear,  dear !  I  do  hope  Maria  will 
give  papa  good  coffee.  Why  Edward,  dear,  you 
don't  mean  to  say  that  you  have  brought  your 
pigeons !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Norton,  when  Neosha 
was  no  longer  in  sight,  and  her  thoughts  returned  to 
present  company,  her  journey,  her  responsibilities. 

Edward  blushed  and  stammered  as  he  always  did 
when  embarrassed  :  "  Yes,  I  h-a-a-ve  !  I  j-u-u-st 
could  n't  le-le-ave  them  behind,  mamma." 


THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD  89 

"And  fraulein  has  brought  her  bandbox,  I  see, 
though  I  told  her  it  would  be  a  wreck  in  a  week." 

"  I  haf,  madame,  I  confess  the  sin,"  said  fraulein. 

"  And  I  daresay  Frank  has  one  of  his  white  mice 
tucked  away  somewhere." 

"  Only  one  —  such  a  little  one  !  Here  it  is  now," 
said  Frank,  looking  down  proudly  at  the  pretty  little 
creature,  whose  tiny  head  peeped  from  the  pocket  of 
his  coat  as  he  spoke. 

"  Well,  Mabel,  what  have  you  brought  off  that 
you  ought  to  have  left  behind  ?  What !  Have  you 
got  Waggles  shut  up  in  the  cabin  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mamma,  how  did  you  guess  ?  Poor  Wag 
gles  came  whining  and  coaxing  and  almost  weeping 
just  as  I  came  aboard,  and  I  couldn't  help  it;  I 
stooped  and  picked  him  up,  and  you  ought  to  have 
seen  how  delighted  he  was.  He  knew  perfectly 
well  that  I  had  relented,  and  was  bringing  him 
along." 

"  Hurrah  for  Mabel  and  Waggles !  Dear  old 
Waggles  !  "  cried  Frank  enthusiastically.  "  I  am  so 
glad." 

"  Well,  here  is  a  family !  What  will  papa  say  ? 
Did  we  not  agree  "  — 

"  Each  person  agreed  that  the  other  person's  pet 
was  to  be  left  behind,  mamma.  Don't  be  vexed  — 


90  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

please  don't,"  said  Mabel.  "  It  won't  really  mat 
ter." 

"  Has  anybody  chanced  to  bring  an  alligator  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Norton  derisively.  "  Why  did  n't  some 
body  bring  an  alligator,  pray  ?  " 

It  was  now  fraulein's  turn  to  look  embarrassed 
and  blush. 

"  Madame,  I  haf .  It  is  now  in  de  care  of  de 
steward.  Do  not  wex  yourself,  I  beg.  Such  a  little 
drole.  For  my  sister.  How  she  will  laugh  when 
she  sees  dat  little  black  fellow  eat  a  fish." 

Poor  Mrs.  Norton  looked  utterly  astonished.  Her 
imagination  had  not  been  equal  to  its  own  flight  at 
all,  as  a  reality. 

"  You  don't  mean  it !  "  she  cried.  "  I  never  knew 
anything  so  preposterous." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  I  might  just  as  well  have  brought 
my  dear  Candy  Doll  to  play  with  !  We  would  have 
had  such  fun,"  said  Lucy  reproachfully. 

"  We  might  as  well  have  brought  the  whole  plan 
tation  !  I  wish  I  had  seized  upon  papa ;  I  am  sure 
I  shall  never  get  you  all  safely  to  England,"  her 
mother  replied. 

*<Now,  mamma,  confess.  Have  not  you  brought 
off  something  contraband,  too  ? "  cried  Mabel,  tak 
ing  her  mother's  hand  and  giving  her  a  kiss. 


THE  FAMILY  GO  ABROAD  91 

"  Well,  dear,  I  must  say  —  your  papa  —  you  see 
I  thought  I  ought  to  put  a  bottle  of  brandy  in  my 
dressing-bag  for  seasickness.  And  papa  thought 
it  would  not  help  me  at  all.  But  I  have  such  a 
horror  of  it !  So  I  did  put  that  bottle  in  "  — 

A  great  shout  went  up  from  the  children :  "  A 
bottle  of  brandy  !  and  you  a  blue-ribbon  temperance 
lady  !  Oh,  mamma  !  Shocking  !  " 

"You  can't  say  anything  to  us,  dearest,  not  a 
word,"  said  Mabel,  as  she  put  a  shawl  around  the 
dear  mother's  shoulders. 


CHAPTER   IX 

IN   DANGER 

ARRIVED  in  Savannah  safely,  the  Nortons  were 
so  promptly  transferred  to  one  of  the  ocean  steam 
ships  sailing  for  New  York  that  they  had  only  time 
for  a  drive  around  the  charming  old  colonial  town 
before  going  on  board.  The  younger  children  had 
never  seen  a  big  ship  before,  and  were  much  ex 
cited  over  it.  Keith  was  pulled  off  a  rope  ladder 
and  very  nearly  fell  down  a  windsail  before  they 
had  been  on  board  five  minutes,  while  they  were 
all  busy  establishing  themselves  in  their  respective 
cabins. 

"  Ach  !  not  an  eye  will  I  close  me  during  dis  voy 
age  !  Dat  is  clear  !  Vid  dis  so  mischievous  boy,  vot 
haf  I  but  anxietudes  all  de  time  ?  He  is  not  bad 
—  no.  Bort  so  drying  —  so  varry,  varry  drying  for 
de  governess.  De  moder,  de  fader  can  scold,  can 
vip,  can  subdue  for  de  vorst,  but  de  governess 
must  always  smile  und  smile  und  be  patient,  und  say 
nodings,  unless  she  be  like  one  of  vich  I  hear  in 


/AT  DANGER  93 

France,  who  gave  to  de  bad  child  a  liddle  dose  of 
somedings  vot  put  him  in  a  so  sound  sleep,  und 
den,  pouf !  she  took  off  her  slipper  und  gif  him  vot 
he  had  long  time  needed,  und  nefer  got !  But  I 
am  not  so  vicked.  I  vould  not  vicked  be  vid  you, 
Keith.  But  dou  morst  hear  und  obey." 

Sidelong,  merry  glances  from  Keith  were  the 
only  answer  that  came  to  this.  Dropping  down  the 
river  with  the  right  tide  and  a  delicious  breeze,  the 
Nortons  saw  from  the  deck  the  beautiful  twin  spires 
of  the  cathedral  in  Savannah  dip  gradually  lower 
and  lower,  and  all  the  buildings  of  the  city  disap 
pear,  together  with  its  twinkling  lights ;  then  came 
fifteen  miles  of  steaming  without  stopping ;  then 
out  swept  the  Macon  past  Tybee  Light  into  the 
illimitable  ocean  beyond,  and  turning,  set  her  face 
northward. 

"  Papa  is  thinking  of  us  now,  children  dear,  you 
may  be  sure.  Is  n't  the  weather  ideal?  I  don't 
feel  queer  in  the  least.  Do  you,  Keith  ?  "  said  Mrs. 
Norton. 

"  I  would  n't  —  but  you  see  when  the  ship  goes 
down,  my  stomach  sort  of  stays  up,  mamma,  and  I 
do,  rather,"  responded  Keith,  who  was  beginning  to 
look  positively  green  already.  "  If  you  don't  mind, 
I  —  I  won't  have  any  supper.  I  '11  go  to  bed." 


94  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  Here  falls  the  first  victim  of  Neptune's  trident 
in  our  family,"  remarked  Edward.  "  I  do  hope  we 
are  n't  going  to  be  ill  in  rows.  A  mile  of  seasick 
Nortons  stretched  on  the  deck  would  be  an  impos 
ing  spectacle,  would  n't  it,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  speak  of  it !  We  are  none  of  us 
going  to  be  sick  !  We  shall  have  a  perfectly  calm 
voyage,  and  we  must  not  dream  of  going  down 
with  the  first  ripple,  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton. 
"  Put  the  idea  out  of  your  heads,  and  control  your 
selves  when  it  comes  to  eating,  and  you  will  be  all 
right." 

In  spite  of  this  excellent  advice  and  this  cheerful 
prediction,  in  exactly  one  hour  from  that  time  the 
entire  family  had  succumbed,  Mrs.  Norton  ex- 
cepted. 

Moreover,  in  thirty-six  hours  they  sailed  into  the 
midst  of  what  proved  a  terrific  storm.  Mrs.  Norton 
had  been  looking  after  fraulein  and  Keith  (both 
utterly  miserable,  all  the  mischief  gone  completely 
out  of  Keith  for  once,  and  fraulein  saying,  "  Frow 
me  to  de  fishes  !  I  cannot  —  no  more  puke  —  lief 
like  dis  !  "),  when  she  accidentally  overheard  a  little 
conversation  between  the  captain  and  his  mate  that 
made  her  very  unhappy. 

"  Much  wind  ?  "  asked  the  mate. 


IN  DANGER  95 

"  Enough  to  blow  your  teeth  down  your  throat. 
Come  up  and  try  it,"  growled  the  captain. 

"  Pretty  ugly  sea,"  remarked  the  mate. 

"  Barometer  nowhere,"  rejoined  the  captain. 
"  See  here,  Stuntson,  I  don't  like  the  look  of 
things  one  bit.  Look  to  the  boats,  man,  and  the 
hatches  must  be  battened  down  at  once.  I  only 
came  down  to  get  my  mackintosh  and  sou'wester." 

Mrs.  Norton's  heart  gave  a  great  bound,  then 
sank  as  low  as  a  heart  can.  Neither  of  the  officers 
had  seen  her,  and  both  went  their  way. 

Night  came  on.  The  wind  rose  to  such  a  furious 
pitch  that  every  timber  of  the  Macon  shivered  as  if 
under  the  blows  of  a  mighty  hammer.  Mrs.  Nor 
ton  heard  the  hatches  fastened  down.  She  heard 
the  sailors  tramping  about  overhead  and  their  hoarse 
shouts  and  cries,  the  captain  shouting  his  orders 
through  a  trumpet,  the  tremendous  swash  of  the 
waves  as  they  swept  over  the  deck.  Every  port 
hole  had  been  closed,  of  course,  but  as  she  lay  there 
in  her  berth,  she  shuddered  to-  think  that  there 
was  only  one  plank  between  that  raging,  moaning, 
frightful  sea  outside  and  the  dear  ones  near  her. 
All  night  long  the  ship  pitched  and  tossed  gallantly 
on  her  course,  careening  so  dreadfully  sometimes 
that  it  seemed  as  if  she  must  capsize,  then  right- 


96  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

ing  herself  and  plunging  ahead,  trembling  in  every 
limb.  No  lights  were  allowed  in  the  state-rooms, 
but  from  time  to  time  Mrs.  Norton  would  creep  out 
into  the  principal  cabin,  and  sit  down  there  for  a 
moment  on  a  sofa.  She  felt  less  frightened,  some- 

O  f 

how,  among  these  homely,  familiar  surroundings ; 
to  see  the  light  was  a  comfort.  So  she  waited  dis 
mally,  first  for  daybreak,  then  for  breakfast,  and 
news  from  the  captain.  But  only  a  few  straggling 
waiters  appeared.  The  stewardess  was  not  to  be 
found.  The  storm  seemed  to  be,  and  was,  growing 
worse  continually.  One  of  the  waiters,  looking  very 
white  and  scared,  and  barely  able  to  make  himself 
heard  in  the  general  uproar,  shouted  to  her  that 
he  would  bring  her  some  coffee  and  bread  presently 
—  that  nothing  could  be  cooked  —  the  cook's  gal 
ley  being  smashed  in  and  flooded.  He  also  said,  in 
answer  to  the  question  she  shrieked  in  his  ear,  that 
the  captain  had  not  been  down,  and  added  that  the 
storm  was  awful.  He  brought  her  some  coffee  in  a 
big  pitcher,  and  half  a  loaf  of  bread  in  his  hand. 
There  was  not  another  passenger  in  sight  except 
Waggles,  who  whined  continually,  shivered,  and 
pulled  at  the  hem  of  her  dress.  Mrs.  Norton  was 
no  coward,  but  she  now  fully  understood  that  they 
were  in  danger.  She  behaved  with  her  usual  calm- 


IN  DANGER  97 

ness  and  good  sense.  First  she  gave  some  coffee 
and  bread  to  all  her  poor  prostrate  ones  that  would 
or  could  take  it.  Then  she  roused  Mabel  and  frau- 
lein.  Both  women  grew  livid  with  fright  when 
they  understood  what  she  had  written  on  a  blotting- 
pad  and  given  thetn  to  read.  Then  fraulein  fell 
back  with  a  groan,  too  seasick  to  care  whether  she 
lived  or  died.  Not  so  Mabel.  A  more  plucky  girl 
never  faced  disaster.  Like  a  soldier  she  sprang  up, 
rapidly  dressed  herself,  and  aided  her  mother  to 
dress  the  children.  Then  the  mother  and  daughter 
packed  two  bags,  in  case  they  should  be  ordered  to 
take  to  the  boats,  as  rapidly  as  was  possible  with 
the  ship  lurching  so  tremendously ;  and  picking 
up  the  children,  led  or  carried  them  into  the  cabin, 
strapped  life-preservers  about  each  of  them  (Edward 
excepted,  —  he  insisted  on  fastening  his  own),  and 
sat  down  to  wait  developments.  All  that  day  the 
storm  raged  with  increasing  fury ;  indeed,  for  three 
days  and  nights  the  ship  labored  through  a  terrible 
sea,  with  parting  seams,  and  snapping  masts,  and 
straining  timbers,  smitten  with  terrific  force  by 
waves  that  dashed  against  and  over  it  with  a  roar 
that  made  Mrs.  Norton,  listening  below,  quake  and 
shiver.  The  lights  were  doused,  the  engines  dis 
abled,  and  the  fires  put  out.  The  officers,  lashed  to 


98  A  GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

the  mast,  directed  the  brave  body  of  seamen  who  by 
their  intelligence  and  courage  were  trying  to  make 
of  a  mere  cockleshell,  comparatively,  a  match  for  one 
of  the  mightiest  forces  in  the  world.  Finally  the 
ship  got  into  the  trough  of  the  sea.  Her  mainmast 
went  by  the  board,  with  a  frightful  wrenching 
crash  that  almost  disemboweled  the  poor  ship,  and 
the  captain  ordered  the  passengers  on  deck.  There 
were  about  twelve  ladies  besides  those  of  our  party, 
and  assisted  by  the  sailors  they  were  all  taken  up 
from  the  cabin,  some  of  them  half  fainting,  others 
crazed  by  fright,  and  others  still  quite  calm,  all 
clutching  something,  —  children,  jewels,  valuables. 
One  look  Mrs.  Norton  gave  at  the  sea  about  her, 
which  she  never  forgot,  then  she  staggered  with  her 
children  into  the  captain's  cabin.  The  captain 
cocked  his  pistol,  stationed  himself  near  the  boats, 
and  had  them,  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  launched. 

"  No  man  sets  foot  in  these  boats  till  the  women 
and  children  are  sent  off,"  he  shouted ;  and  looking 
around  with  a  noble  gesture  of  disdain,  he  added, 
"  If  there  are  any  such  cowards  here,  they  had  best 
not  try  it." 

Fraulein  and  Mabel  were  sent  off  in  the  first  boat, 
and  got  clear  of  the  ship  almost  immediately,  for 
though  still  running  high,  the  waves  were  percepti- 


IN  DANGER  99 

bly  calming,  the  wind  having  shifted  and  partly 
dropped.  "  Are  n't  you  coming,  mamma  ?  "  cried 
Mabel  wildly  in  utter  dismay.  With  an  agonizing 
cry  to  them,  Mrs.  Norton  saw  them  seized  and  hur 
ried  over  the  side  of  the  ship  by  the  sailors,  Mabel's 
beautiful  hair  blowing  in  every  direction.  A  second 
boat  was  lowered,  and  also  got  off  safely.  A  third 
and  a  fourth  were  capszied  under  her  eyes.  The 
others  had  been  carried  away  in  the  storm.  Mrs. 
Norton  gave  herself  up  for  lost  now,  and  was  pray 
ing  intently  when  the  captain  came  up  to  her  with 
the  mate. 

"  Have  n't  you  gone,  captain  ?  I  thought  you 
had  left  us,"  Mrs.  Norton  piteously  cried. 

"  I  shall  not  go  until  my  ship  goes,  and  then  I  go 
with  her,"  he  replied.  "  Come,  you  must  go  below." 

He  picked  up  Keith,  and  took  them  all,  one  by 
one,  back  to  the  gloomy,  deserted  cabin,  talking  to 
each  of  the  children  as  kindly  as  possible. 

"  Must  n't  give  up.  The  storm  is  over.  We  must 
try  to  hold  together  till  we  are  picked  up,"  said  the 
captain  cheerily,  and  then  all  at  once,  strong  man 
though  he  was,  he  fell  prone  on  the  floor  in  a  dead 
faint,  utterly  exhausted.  Mrs.  Norton  ran  to  her  cabin 
and  got  restoratives,  slapped  his  hands,  unloosened 
his  collar,  revived  him  finally,  and  then  remembered 


100  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

what  she  ever  afterwards  called  "  that  blessed  bottle 
of  brandy."  She  administered  a  rousing  dose  of  it 
to  the  captain,  and  after  lying  in  a  state  of  perfect 
collapse  for  three  hours,  he  at  last  opened  his  eyes 
and  sat  up. 

"  Well,  I  am  a  pretty  sailor,  I  am,"  he  declared, 
"to  go  fainting  like  a  boarding-school  miss."  Don't 
tell  it  on  me,  ma'am  ;  don't,  now  !  But  the  fact  is, 
that  I  've  had  almost  nothing  to  eat  for  three  days, 
ever  since  it  began  blowing  great  guns,  and  I  have 
been  on  duty  all  the  while.  Did  I  dream  that  you 
have  some  brandy  ?  " 

The  second  draught  had  a  great  effect ;  in  half  an 
hour  he  declared  himself  "  all  right,"  and  added  that 
he  should  "  go  up  on  deck  and  try  to  find  out  where 
they  were,  and  what  was  left  of  them." 

"  We  are  the  only  passengers  left,  ma'am,  and  most 
all  the  crew.  Keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  though.  Don't 
take  off  your  clothes  ;  but  the  children  may  as  well 
try  and  get  some  sleep." 

Lucy's  and  Keith's  eyes  had  already  closed,  and 
in  a  state  of  the  utmost  misery  and  suspense  Mrs. 
Norton  watched  beside  them. 

The  captain  soon  returned,  saying,  "  Thought 
you  'd  be  anxious,  so  I  came  back  to  you.  We  Ve 
been  blown  about  three  hundred  miles  out  of  our 


IN  DANGER  101 

course,  as  nearly  as  I  can  make  out  (in  the  general 
smash-up  my  instruments,  charts,  maps,  etc.,  have 
almost  disappeared),  but  never  mind.  Don't  give 
way,  ma'am.  Don't  cry  !  Never  could  stand  seeing 
a  woman  cry.  The  ship  's  a  derelict,  and  that 's  a 
fact.  But  I  reckon  we  '11  pull  through.  If  we  do 
go  to  pieces,  I  '11  lash  you  all  to  supports  and  hold 
on  to  the  young  one,  I  promise  you." 

"  Oh,  my  husband  !  my  husband  !  Oh,  where  is 
my  Mabel  ?  Oh,  captain,  is  it  as  bad  as  that  ? " 
cried  Mrs.  Norton,  and  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears, 
in  which  the  children  (now  awake)  joined  so  loudly 
that  the  captain  got  cross  at  once,  and  growled  out : 

"  Shut  up,  kids !  You  have  n't  gone  to  the  bot 
tom  yet,  and  you  won't  either,  if  John  Morse  can 
help  it ;  and  he  can." 


CHAPTER  X 

A    TERRIBLE    TIME 

IT  took  the  ocean  three  days  to  recover  from  the 
frightful  state  of  agitation,  rage,  and  fury  into 
which  it  had  been  lashed  by  the  storm.  Its  vast 
bosom  heaved  convulsively,  its  mysterious  depths 
moaned  piteously,  its  waves  only  very,  very  gradually 
subsided ;  but  at  last  there  was  not  so  much  as  a 
capful  of  wind,  and  the  surface  of  no  mill-pond 
could  have  looked  more  tranquil  than  the  vast  deep 
around  the  Macon.  Mrs.  Norton,  not  understand 
ing  the  situation,  grew  more  and  more  cheerful 
in  consequence.  The  captain  paced  the  deck  con 
tinually,  sweeping  every  quarter  of  the  compass 
in  the  hope  of  seeing  a  sail.  With  his  sailors  he 
planked  over  the  hole  left  by  the  mainmast  after  it 
was  cut  sheer  off.  He  did  a  lot  of  calking  and 
bailing.  He  tried  to  rig  up  a  jury-mast,  and  to  put 
the  engines  into  something  like  order  again,  —  in 
vain.  Before  Mrs.  Norton  he  was  all  bluff  hearti 
ness  and  suspicious  gayety. 


A    TERRIBLE   TIME  103 

"  You  are  a  plucky  one,  ma'am,  and  no  mistake. 
To  see  you  washing  and  dressing  your  boy,  and 
doing  your  little  girl's  hair,  and  sewing  on  buttons, 
as  if  we  were  tied  up  hard  and  fast  to  a  dock, 
amazes  me  !  I  thought  you  'd  walk  the  floor  like  a 
tigress,  and  have  hysterics.  I  'm  not  a  married  man 
myself,  but  I  would  n't  mind  being  spliced,  if  I 
could  find  another  woman  as  brave  as  you,"  he  said 
to  her.  "  And  me  fainting !  Don't  tell  it  on  me 
ever,  ma'am  ;  don't !  " 

"  I  am  not  brave  at  all.  I  am  the  greatest  coward 
that  ever  lived.  But  I  am  trying  to  put  my  trust 
in  my  good  God,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton. 

"  Well,  we  've  all  got  to  die,  some  time,  and  I  do 
reckon  it  is  made  easy  for  us  all,  when  that  time 
comes.  I  've  been  shipwrecked  seventeen  times, 
though,  since  I  ran  away  as  a  lad  and  became  first 
a  cabin-boy  and  then  a  sailor.  I  don't  give  it  up, 
ma'am.  Certainly  not !  We  '11  be  picked  up  and 
taken  off  yet !  You  '11  see.  If  it  was  n't  so  serious, 
it  would  be  the  most  comical  thing  on  earth  to  be 
shipwrecked,  —  folks  act  so  queerly.  Now  that  wall 
eyed  Dutch  woman  that  went  off  in  the  first  boat. 
Did  you  see  her  holding  on  to  that  bandbox  of  hers 
for  dear  life  ?  Who  was  she,  any  way  ?  " 

"  She  was  my  governess,  Fraulein  Dinkspiel," 
said  Mrs.  Norton,  and  actually  smiled. 


104  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  And  that  tall  young  woman  —  a  beauty  —  with 
her  hair  coming  down  to  the  hem  of  her  dress ;  I 
saw  her  clasping  something  frantically  in  her  arms. 
I  thought  it  was  a  baby.  I  saw  her  better,  though, 
as  she  went  over  the  side,  and  it  was  a  stump-tailed 
puppy,  if  you  '11  believe  me,  ma'am." 

"  That  was  my  daughter  Mabel,"  said  Mrs.  Nor 
ton  rather  severely.  ' 

"  And  Waggles  !  Dear  old  Wag  !  "  chorused  the 
children. 

"  Now,  ma'am,  keep  up  your  pecker ;  don't  cry  ! 
That  boat  is  hanging  alongside  some  steamer  this 
minute.  There  's  thousands  of  'em  steaming  along 
here  at  this  season,"  said  the  captain  ;  and  added 
mentally,  "  I  hope  I  '11  get  forgiveness  for  telling 
her  such  a  whopper." 

"  I  hope,  I  pray,  I  trust  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton. 

"  Excuse  me  commenting  on  your  daughter.  You 
see  the  poor  things  lose  their  heads  so.  Why,  when 
I  was  wrecked  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  a  man  rushed 
up  to  me  and  implored  me  to  wait  one  moment  for 
him,  to  hold  the  boat,  and  rushed  downstairs  and 
back  again  like  a  streak  of  lightning.  '  Have  you 
got  it  ?  '  says  I,  thinking  it  was  his  money,  or  his 
dead  wife's  picture.  *  Yes,'  said  he, '  I  'm  all  right ; ' 
and  what  do  you  think  he  went  down  for  ?  His  new 


A   TERRIBLE  TIME  105 

beaver  and  umbrella  !  That  man  had  actually  kept 
a  whole  boatful  of  people  dashing  up  and  down  and 
around,  and  running  the  risk  of  being  capsized 
every  minute,  while  he  went  below  for  his  beaver 
and  umbrella !  He  was  an  Englishman.  I  have 
had  a  woman  implore  me  to  "  Save  Bibi,"  at  any 
cost,  and  come  to  find  out  "  Bibi "  was  a  canary. 
She  was  a  Mexican.  But  we  are  a  crazy,  wretched 
lot  when  we  are  put  to  the  touch,  most  of  us.  I 
am  proud  —  that  is,  I  shall  be  proud  to  tell  the 
company,  if  I  ever  see  land  again,  that  there  was  not 
one  of  our  men  but  did  his  duty  nobly.  One  Dago 
and  two  Frenchmen  tried  to  push  past  me  into  the 
boats,  but  I  put  a  pistol  to  their  heads,  and  they 
changed  their  minds  about  leaving  the  ship  just 
then.  Come  here,  Keith,  and  climb  up  on  my  knee. 
You  '11  find  some  almonds  and  raisins  in  my  pockets 
for  good  boys.  I  found  them  in  the  steward's 
locker  just  now." 

When  he  got  on  deck,  though,  the  captain's  good 
spirits  disappeared  at  once.  His  head  hung  down 
on  his  breast.  His  steps  faltered.  "Not  a  sail  in 
sight !  "  he  groaned  out. 

"  Captain,  you  tell  mamma  that  we  '11  be  rescued, 
but  you  don't  act  as  if  you  believed  it.  I  have  been 
watching  you.  Of  course  no  brave  man  scares 


106  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

women  and  children,  or  is  mean  to  them.  He  de 
fends,  and  protects,  and  encourages  them.  I  know 
that,  if  I  am  only  a  boy.  I  've  been  doing  the  same 
thing,  so  you  have  not  deceived  me,"  said  Edward, 
coming  up  to  him  as  he  seated  himself  dejectedly 
on  a  skylight.  "  Please  be  frank  with  me.  I  am 
not  afraid  to  die,  neither  is  mamma,  —  but  the  chil 
dren  "  —  Here  he  broke  down. 

"  Yes,  those  children.  That  is  why  I  came  up 
here.  This  old  boat  is  yapping  and  yawning  like  a 
sleepy  dog,  my  boy.  After  a  bit,  if  rough  weather 
comes,  she  '11  just  open  her  seams,  and  fill,  and  go 
straight  to  the  bottom.  Nothing  saves  her  now  but 
the  water  being  no  rougher  than  in  a  wash-basin. 
And  knowing  that,  I  can't  stay  long  below.  That 
mother  of  yours  is  a  lovely  woman,  and  when  I  see 
her  sitting  there  so  quiet  and  brave,  with  her  children 
around  her,  I  get  a  lump  in  my  throat ;  and  when 
that  youngster,  little  Keith,  puts  his  arms  around 
my  neck,  and  smiles,  and  says,  '  You  won't  let  me 
drown,  will  you,  captain  ? '  the  tears  will  come, 
though  I  have  n't  cried  for  forty  years.  Well,  you 
are  a  brave  boy,  and  I  have  told  you  the  truth. 
There  is  a  chance  that  we  may  be  picked  up,  of 
course,  —  about  one  in  a  thousand.  Nobody  knows 
where  we  are,  and  we  are  blown  entirely  out  of  our 


A   TERRIBLE  TIME  107 

course,  and  out  of  the  line  of  traffic.  When  I  put 
my  ship  before  that  wind  I  thought,  (  We  '11  be 
lucky  if  we  stop  short  of  Africa,  in  this  cyclone  ! ' 

"  Thank  you,  captain,"  said  Edward  gravely. 

"  I  remembered  this  morning  that  Snyder  Jones, 
one  of  the  captains  in  our  line,  gave  me  his  chest 
to  take  back  to  New  York,  and  I  opened  it,  and 
found  some  charts  and  instruments,  and  I  've  got 
our  latitude  now,  and  longitude.  Would  you  like 
to  see  it  ?  Come  into  my  cabin.  Small  comfort 
now,  —  but  yet  it  is  a  kind  of  satisfaction,"  replied 
the  captain. 

When  he  had  inspected  the  captain's  mysterious 
calculations,  and  had  them  explained  to  him,  and 
stared  at  the  sun,  and  been  given  a  lesson  generally 
in  seamanship,  Edward  slowly  walked  off  to  feed 
his  pigeons,  which  he  had  found  cooing  and  prink 
ing  and  sunning  themselves  as  they  walked  daintily 
around  their  cage  in  a  circle  in  the  steward's  pantry 
on  the  lower  deck,  the  day  after  the  storm,  abso 
lutely  unhurt.  He  took  them  out  now  and  stroked 
their  feathers,  thinking  all  the  while  of  his  talk  with 
the  captain.  Then  a  thought  struck  him,  and  he 
turned  red  and  pale,  and  then  red  again  under  the 
warm  flush  of  the  hope  it  inspired. 

"  Idiot,  never  to  have  thought  of  it  before  !  " 


108  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

he  exclaimed.  Then  he  generously  fed  his  birds, 
carefully  fastened  a  note  that  he  wrote  around  the 
body  of  each,  and  taking  Phoebe  in  his  hand, 
walked  to  the  bow  of  the  vessel. 

"  Go,  Phcebe,  and  bring  us  succor,"  he  said  to  his 
pet,  as  he  pressed  her  against  his  cheek.  Then 
flinging  her  off,  he  cried  out :  "  Go  home,  Phoebe  ; 
go  home  ! " 

Up  rose  Phoebe  as  blithe  as  possible,  circled  three 
times  above  his  head,  and  then  straight  as  a  dart 
took  her  course. 

In  half  an  hour  Edward  got  out  Lex,  stroked  him, 
kissed  him,  and  said,  "  Dear  old  Lex,  don't  fail  us. 
You  are  our  only  hope.  Go  home,  Lex !  Go  home  !  " 

Up  rose  Lex  on  even  bolder  wing,  and,  with  even 
greater  delight,  circled  as  Phcebe  had  done,  and 
took  exactly  the  same  course. 

"  I  '11  not  tell  mamma.  It  would  excite,  disap 
point  her,  perhaps,  too  much,"  thought  Edward,  as 
he  stood  there,  watching  Lex  with  as  much  eager 
ness  as  sadness,  until  he  was  out  of  sight.  "But  I 
will  tell  the  captain."  He  did  so,  and  the  captain 
thought  it  an  excellent  idea. 

"  If  your  birds  are  what  you  claim,  and  if  they  go 
home,  and  if  this  weather  holds  "  —  he  said,  but 
Edward  could  not  but  feel  encouraged. 


A    TERRIBLE  TIME  109 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Norton  was  missing  his  family 
very  much ;  roving  restlessly  about  the  house  and 
over  the  garden ;  working  hard  over  his  roses  in 
his  efforts  to  dispel  the  sense  of  loss  and  loneliness 
that  beset  him. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  me,  I  wonder,  Caruth- 
ers  ?  I  have  n't  slept  for  two  nights.  I  can't  eat, 
I  can't  keep  still.  I  feel  as  gloomy  as  if  I  had  lost 
my  wife,  really,  —  or  my  fortune.  I  think  I  must 
have  a  touch  of  fever.  No,  I  have  n't  either.  Per 
haps  my  liver  is  out  of  order.  I  vow  it  makes,  me 
superstitious.  I  wish  I  could  hear  that  they  are  all 
safe  in  New  York.  I  wish  I  had  taken  them  down 
to  Savannah,  to  England,  myself,  and  left  the  crop 
to  take  care  of  itself,"  said  Mr.  Norton  to  the  tutor 
one  morning,  after  breakfast. 

"  The  house  is  very  different  —  very  —  when 
they  are  away.  Miss  Mabel  makes  things  so  cheer 
ful,  and  the  boys  are  so  full  of  life.  You  are  natu 
rally  upset  and  lonely,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Caruthers. 

Upset  Mr.  Norton  was  that  morning,  beyond  a 
doubt.  He  tried  to  read,  he  tried  to  write,  he  tried 
to  graft  a  few  roses ;  finally  he  seized  a  spade  and 
dug  up  a  garden-bed,  for  the  sake  of  hard  work. 
But  when  it  got  too  hot  to  go  on,  he  picked  up  his 
tools,  and  was  in  the  act  of  depositing  them  in  the 


110  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

tool-house,  when  a  pigeon  flew  over  his  head  up  into 
Edward's  pretty  pigeon-cote,  and  dropped  on  the 
tiny  veranda.  It  was  Phoebe,  and  she  sat  there 
with  eyes  closed  and  wings  furled,  completely  ex 
hausted.  Mr.  Norton  was  used  to  seeing  the  pi 
geons.  He  did  not  know  that  Edward  had  taken 
his  famous  "  homers  "  with  him,  hoping  to  win  an 
English  prize.  So  he  only  glanced  at  the  bird,  and 
continued  to  clean  the  dirt  off  his  spade.  But 
Candy  Doll  came  up  at  that  moment,  and  no  sooner 
did  she  set  eyes  on  Phoebe  than  she  gave  a  loud 
shriek,  then  threw  herself  down  on  the  ground  face 
foremost,  just  as  she  had  done  when  the  whale  had 
so  frightened  her,  and  beat  her  head  against  the 
earth,  and  drummed  with  her  feet,  crying  out :  — 

"  Oh,  my  Lord  !    Oh,  my  Lord  !     Oh,  my  Lord  !  " 

Mr.  Caruthers  now  appeared,  took  her  up,  shook 
her  mildly,  and  got  out  of  her :  — 

"  Oh,  dat  's  Phoebe  !  Dat  's  Phoebe,  wha'  Marse 
Edward  tek  wid  'em.  Look  at  her,  sittin'  dar !  Oh, 
my  Lord  !  Oh,  my  Lord  !  " 

"  What !  "  fairly  shouted  Mr.  Norton,  turning  as 
white  as  the  rose  he  wore  in  his  buttonhole.  "  What 
does  she  say,  Dick  ?  Edward  did  not  take  his  birds. 
I  forbade  the  children  to  take  their  pets." 

"  But  he  did  tek  'em.     He  did  tek  'em  all  de 


A    TERRIBLE  TIME  111 

same.  And  I  dream  of  a  big  black  crow  las'  night. 
Dey  done  drownded !  Dey  done  all  bin  drownded. 
Oh,  my  Lord  !  "  exclaimed  Candy  Doll.  "  Oh,  Miss 
Lucy  !  "  and  throwing  herself  down  again  on  the 
earth,  she  literally  tore  her  hair  out  by  handfuls 
and  poured  sand  over  her  head,  as  she  shrieked  and 
sobbed  aloud,  lost  to  all  fear  of  the  "  buckrah  "  for 
once  in  her  loving  grief  over  Lucy  drowned. 

"  She  tell  de  truff  —  'seusin'  me  sayin'  so.  I  tek 
de  birds  on  de  boat  for  Marse  Edward,  and  gin  'em 
to  de  steward,"  put  in  Daddy  Dick,  who  was  clean 
ing  the  stable  near  them. 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  second  "  whirr  !  whirr  !  " 
overhead ;  a  second  rush,  and  brave  Lex  dropped  at 
the  very  feet  of  Daddy  Dick.  Mr.  Norton  pounced 
on  him,  Mr.  Caruthers  seized  Phrebe,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  the  two  gentlemen  were  reading  Edward's  mes 
sages.  The  next  they  were  saddling  their  horses 
with  trembling  hands,  and  were  off  for  the  landing, 
for  Savannah,  inwardly  in  a  whirlwind,  a  tempest 
of  emotion,  outwardly  quite  calm. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    RESCUE 

BUT  for  Daddy  Dick,  important  as  were  the  ser 
vices  that  Phcebe  and  Lex  had  rendered,  both  birds 
would  have  died,  their  duty  nobly  done.  While 
Mr.  Norton  and  Mr.  Caruthers  were  speeding  away 
to  Savannah,  though  at  what  seemed  to  their  im 
patient  hearts  a  snail's  pace,  Daddy  Dick  got  out 
his  own  private  bottle  of  "  confusion  maker  "  and 
dosed  his  little  feathered  friends  judiciously,  strok 
ing  them  affectionately  and  calling  them  "  dear, 
God-blessed  tings,"  the  while.  He  also  made  for 
them  a  nice,  warm  mash  of  his  finest  bruised  sugar- 
corn,  and  in  every  way  cared  for  them  so  well  that 
in  a  week  they  were  quite  strong  and  well  again, 
and  would  perch  on  his  shoulders,  eat  from  his  hand, 
and  come  at  his  call,  just  as  if  he  were  Edward. 

Once  in  Savannah,  the  two  gentlemen  received 
the  kindest  sympathy  and  most  prompt  aid  from 
everybody  whom  they  met.  Telegrams  were  sent 
flying,  a  steamer  provided,  provisioned,  and  dis- 


THE  RESCUE  113 

patched,  in  an  incredibly  short  time.  Thanks  to 
the  messages,  they  lost  no  time  in  searching  for 
the  Macon,  but  steamed  for  the  place  indicated 
by  the  captain  as  fast  as  the  engines  of  the  Atlanta 
could  drive  them  without  running  the  risk  of  ex 
plosion.  Still,  once  afloat  on  the  vast  ocean  before 
them,  it  was  not  easy  to  be  sure  of  finding  any 
thing,  and  even  when  they  had  arrived  in  the 
neighborhood  indicated,  they  had  a  task  before 
them  that  tried  them  terribly.  Up,  and  down,  and 
around  they  steamed  for  two  days,  seeing  nothing 
—  no  sails  —  no  wreck  —  not  even  a  floating  spar. 
Poor  Mr.  Norton  groaned  audibly  as  he  turned  his 
glass  upon  every  quarter  of  the  ocean.  Young 
Caruthers,  too,  never  left  the  deck  for  one  moment. 
The  yards  were  full  of  volunteers.  The  captain 
showed  his  anxiety  by  his  stern,  curt  orders  and 
continual  consultation  of  his  charts,  by  taking  the 
wheel  himself,  and  going  aloft  to  satisfy  himself 
that  there  was  nothing  in  sight.  It  was  in  the 
dark  of  the  moon,  but  flashlights  threw  their  long, 
searching  rays  here,  there,  everywhere,  all  through 
the  second  night,  in  vain,  and  Mr.  Norton  had 
fallen  asleep  in  his  chair  toward  four  o'clock,  when 
he  was  aroused  by  a  loud  shout  from  the  quarter 
master  aloft :  — 


114  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

"  Something  to  the  nor' west,  sir.  Can't  make 
out  what.  Looks  like  a  hencoop." 

The  captain  sprang  to  the  wheel  instantly,  and 
turned  the  Atlanta's  prow  in  that  direction.  In 
dead  silence  the  steamer  glided  through  the  water 
for  about  twenty  minutes,  while  Mr.  Norton's  heart 
almost  stopped  beating,  and  Mr.  Caruthers  raced  up 
and  down  the  deck,  unable  to  keep  still,  and  every 
sailor  and  passenger  aboard  hung  over  the  rails,  all 
eyes  and  ears.  A  flashlight  was  now  turned  on,  and 
revealed  the  company's  flag,  its  folds  rippling  in  the 
night  wind  gently,  a  raft,  and  some  figures  huddled 
together  on  it.  A  great  cheer  went  up  from  the 
Atlanta.  A  figure  was  seen  to  rise  on  the  raft. 
An  answering  "  Hallo !  "  came  from  a  trumpet. 
Other  figures  moved  ;  voices  could  now  be  heard ;  a 
devout  "  Thank  God  !  Thank  God,  you  've  come  !  " 
and  in  a  little  while  Mrs.  Norton  was  again  in 
her  husband's  arms.  The  crowd  of  rough  sailors, 
with  instinctive  delicacy,  pressed  back  as  eagerly  as 
they  had  pressed  forward,  leaving  the  husband  and 
wife  alone ;  they  seized  the  children,  wrung  the  cap 
tain's  hand  off  almost,  the  mates',  the  rescued  sail 
ors'.  Never  was  there  greater  joy  in  human  hearts. 

"  And  Mabel !  —  fraulein  !  Where  are  they  ?  " 
cried  Mr.  Norton  at  last,  when  he  had  again  and 


THE  RESCUE  115 

again  passionately  embraced  Keith,  and  Lucy,  and 
Edward.  His  delight  was  at  once  turned  into  mourn 
ing  by  Mrs.  Norton's  reply,  and  he  Went  below  with 
his  family,  closing  his  cabin  door  upon  all  the  world. 
Nobody  remembered,  nobody  noticed  Mr.  Caruthers, 
who  sank  down  on  the  deck  and  sobbed  like  a  child. 
"  We  were  all  asleep  when  your  cheer  roused  us," 
said  the  captain.  "  I  was  dreaming  of  my  mother, 
and  the  farm  where  I  was  born.  Mrs.  Norton  had 
been  ill  for  twenty-four  hours.  All  our  food  was 
gone ;  we  had  eaten  nothing  for  two  days,  and  we 
had  only  one  jug  of  water  left.  We  had  lost  all 
hope  of  being  picked  up.  I  tell  you,  if  you  had 
come  twelve  hours  later,  it  would  have  been  too  late. 
We  lashed  this  raft  together  a  week  ago,  got  on  it, 
and  rowed  out  of  reach  of  being  sucked  in  by  the 
whirlpool  caused  by  a  sinking  ship.  Poor  old  Macon  ! 
She  held  together  wonderfully  to  the  last ;  and  I 
hated  to  see  her  go  down  like  poison.  I  've  brought 
her  through  many  a  storm,  one  or  two  as  bad  as  this. 
But  she  got  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  her  engines 
were  disabled,  so  I  could  do  nothing,  not  a  thing. 
As  for  Mrs.  Norton,  she  behaved  splendidly  through 
the  whole  thing.  She  actually  sang  to  those  chil 
dren  of  hers  and  told  them  stories  to  keep  up  their 
spirits,  until  she  fell  ill  from  the  heat  and  starvation ; 


116  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

and  then  whenever  she  opened  her  eyes,  she  would 
smile  at  them,  and  tell  them  it  was  all  right  —  God 
and  the  captain  would  take  care  of  them.  Has  any 
thing  been  heard  from  the  boats  that  got  off  safely  ? 
Here,  somebody,  give  me  something  to  eat  and  drink, 
and  some  tobacco;  I  'm  played  out !  No;  no  clothes, 
I  'm  not  wet  at  all.  Luckily  we  have  not  had  a  cap 
ful  of  wind,  not  a  ripple,  since  the  storm." 

The  Atlanta's  instructions  were  to  proceed  to 
New  York  after  the  rescue  was  accomplished,  and 
to  New  York  she  went  accordingly ;  everybody  on 
board  spoiling  little  Keith,  and  lavishing  every  kind 
ness  possible  on  the  Nortons  and  other  survivors 
of  the  Macon.  Arrived  there,  Mr.  Caruthers  went 
ashore  on  the  first  tug  he  could  get,  and  when  the 
Atlanta's  gang-plank  was  shoved  out,  he  bounded 
aboard  and  rushed  up  to  Mrs.  Norton,  radiant  and 
breathless.  That  is,  he  thought  he  was  seizing  and 
embracing  Mrs.  Norton  as  he  shouted,  — 

"  It  is  all  right !  Miss  Mabel  is  safe  !  She  was 
picked  up  by  a  French  brig  and  carried  to  Dieppe. 
From  there  she  was  sent  to  England,  and  she  is  now 
at  Bath  with  her  aunt.  There  is  a  whole  batch  of 
telegrams  for  Mr.  Norton  in  my  pocket." 

It  was  really  the  stewardess  whom  he  had  seized 
in  his  intense  excitement,  but  Mrs.  Norton  appeared 


THE  RESCUE  117 

immediately,  and  fainted  on  hearing  the  glorious 
news,  to  Mr.  Caruthers's  great  concern. 

"Blundering  idiot  that  I  am,  I  ought  not  to 
have  told  you  so  suddenly.  Look  up,  dear  Mrs. 
Norton.  Take  this.  You  must  not  give  way  now 
when  all  is  well  over,  —  thank  God  ! — after  keeping 
up  so  long  and  bravely.  I  am  so  happy  that  I  feel 
like  embracing  the  whole  world." 

"  You  did  embrace  the  stewardess,  certainly," 
replied  Mrs.  Norton,  from  the  sofa  where  she  had 
been  laid,  with  a  faint  smile.  "  Tell  me  again  about 
Mabel.  I  will  forgive  you,  if  the  stewardess  will." 

"  I  hardly  dare  say  that  I  took  her  for  you.  Your 
figures  are  a  good  deal  alike,"  said  Mr.  Caruthers 
eagerly.  "  You  will  go  to  England  by  the  first 
steamer,  of  course." 

This  was  precisely  what  Mr.  Norton  did  as  soon  as 
they  could  get  ready.  And  as  New  York  is  a  won 
derful  place  for  shipwrecked  people  to  provide  them 
selves  with  anything  and  everything  they  may  need, 
if  they  only  have  full  purses,  it  took  Mrs.  Norton 
only  three  days  to  get  outfits  for  herself  and  the 
children,  when  she  felt  strong  enough  to  undertake 
it.  Not  without  a  great  deal  of  apprehension  could 
she  again  trust  herself  to  such  an  uncertain,  treach 
erous  element  as  the  sea,  still  less  those  she  loved  ; 


118  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

but  it  had  to  be  done,  and  eight  days  later  the  whole 
family  party  walked  into  the  lovely  grounds  of  Aunt 
Catharine's  charming  villa  at  Bath.  They  were 
expected,  of  course,  —  eagerly  so.  Mabel,  and  her 
aunt,  and  fraulein,  and  the  butler,  two  footmen,  three 
maids,  the  cook,  and  the  knife-boy,  had  all  been  on 
the  qui  vive  over  their  arrival  for  twenty-four  hours, 
yet  after  all  they  reached  there  unexpectedly.  In 
spite  of  English  decorum,  the  villa  people  all  swarmed 
out  of  the  house  with  the  first  peal  of  the  gate-bell, 
and  fell  upon,  embraced,  and  seized  the  Nortons  and 
all  their  effects,  and  bore  them  into  the  house,  with 
the  most  intense  tenderness  and  goodwill.  Never 
was  there  such  a  hubbub. 

Mabel,  looking  as  well  and  pretty  as  possible,  fairly 
ran  into  her  mother's  outstretched  arms.  Aunt  Cath 
arine  wept  copiously  over  her  brother.  The  butler, 
who,  as  a  rule,  would  no  more  demean  himself  by 
carrying  a  parcel  than  if  he  were  the  Lord  Chief 
Justice  of  England,  actually  forgot  everything  ex 
cept  that  he  was  human  and  the  family  just  saved 
from  shipwreck,  and  filled  his  arms  with  bags  and 
wraps.  Cook  bore  off  Keith,  struggling,  into  the 
drawing-room,  much  against  his  will,  kissing  him 
(a  thing  he  hated),  and  calling  him  a  "precious 
love,"  and  a  "  dear."  The  footmen  tackled  the  lug- 


THE  RESCUE  119 

gage  with  smiling  alacrity.  Boots  possessed  himself 
of  all  the  umbrellas,  and  gazed  respectfully  at  "  Mr. 
Frank  "  as  one  of  the  victims  of  a  disaster  as  terrible 
as  any  set  forth  in  the  "  shilling  shockers  "  of  which 
he  was  so  fond.  The  three  maids  curtsied  contin 
ually,  at  the  shortest  possible  intervals,  and  offered 
their  assistance  to  Mrs.  Norton  and  Lucy. 

Last  of  all  came  fraulein,  her  broad  German  face 
wreathed  in  smiles,  her  honest  blue  eyes  full  of  tears  : 

"  Madame  !  thee  do  I  again  behold,  —  thanks  to 
the  Allgiitigste  ;  und  all  the  dear  children  ;  und  we 
here,  all  safe,  too ;  not  one  lost,"  she  said,  as  she 
affectionately  embraced  and  kissed  Mrs.  Norton. 
Then,  her  mood  changing,  "  Und  behold !  Here  is 
even  my  hat,  here  on  my  head  !  It  is  the  same,  only 
the  flowers  changed ;  the  ribbon  was  not  hurt  at  all, 
though  the  bandbox,  in  course,  had  to  go,  the  sailor- 
mens  swore  over  it  so  as  never  was." 

"  And  if  here  is  n't  Waggles,"  cried  Lucy  and 
Frank  in  a  breath,  and  then  tumbled  over  each  other 
in  the  path  in  the  effort  to  possess  themselves  en 
tirely  of  their  beloved  Wag.  There  he  was,  to  be 
sure,  as  large  as  life  and  as  brisk  as  possible,  all 
joyous  bark  and  loving  leaps,  his  stump  of  a  tail  re 
volving  like  a  mill-wheel  in  his  delight  at  seeing  the 
children  again,  a  laugh  on  his  face,  if  ever  a  dog 
laughed  in  all  this  world. 


120  A   GEORGIAN  BUNGALOW 

The  sight  of  him  relieved  the  tension  they  were  all 
feeling  over  this  most  happy  but  agitating  reunion, 
and  together  they  all  streamed  into  the  house,  the 
Nortons  to  talk  and  talk  and  talk,  till  past  mid 
night;  to  be  petted,  and  coddled,  and  feasted  by 
all  the  household,  called  upon  by  the  rector  and  the 
neighbors,  lionized  and  rejoiced  over  by  the  entire 
community. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  I  can't  tell  you  what  I  felt  when  I 
found  myself  in  that  cockle-shell  of  an  open  boat  on 
that  stormy  sea,  without  you !  I  can't  stand  think 
ing  of  it,  even ;  I  never  shall  be  able  to  do  so  with 
out  a  shudder.  The  men  were  very  rough,  and  were 
beginning  to  quarrel  dreadfully  before  we  were  res 
cued.  It  was  a  great  comfort  to  have  fraulein  with 
us ;  and  she  was  so  kind,  so  sweet,  so  unselfish.  I 
shall  always  love  her  dearly  for  it.  And  the  French 
people  were  so  good  to  us,  too,  sending  us  on  at  once 
here  to  auntie,  when  we  had  no  money  at  all,  and 
bringing  us  clothing,  flowers,  books,  and  bonbons. 
You  must  write  to  the  Le  Maitres  at  once,  dear ;  I 
never  can  forget  how  kind  they  were.  And  oh,  how 
delicious  it  is  to  have  you,  and  papa,  and  the  dear 
children  back  again,  and  all  safe  and  well,  is  n't  it?  " 
said  Mabel,  as  she  moved  about  her  bedroom  that 
night. 


THE  RESCUE  121 

"  It  is,  indeed,  my  darling  child.  I  think  there 
will  be  some  thankful  hearts  singing  the  Te  Deum 
next  Sunday  at  church,  —  mine  for  one." 

"  And  mine.  And  what  of  Mr.  Caruthers, 
mamma  ?  Did  n't  papa  say  that  he  had  gone  to 
Virginia  ?  "  said  Mabel,  a  bright  blush  rising  to  the 
very  roots  of  her  hair  as  she  spoke. 

"  Yes.  He  said  I  was  to  tell  you,  dear,  how  infi 
nitely  thankful  he  was  when  he  got  the  telegram, 
and  that  he  hoped  to  be  back  with  us  all  at (  Neosha ' 
for  Christmas.  Come  kiss  me  good-night,  daughter 
mine,"  replied  Mrs.  Norton,  then  added  a  low  but 
most  loving  and  fervent  "  God  bless  you ! " 


(2Tbr  OilicrsiDE  press 

Elecirotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  6°  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass,  U.  S.  A. 


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